Thanks Sue, really interesting article. I think some of the
conclusions may have been pushed a bit farther than warranted by the
sources, but... I think the follow-on effects of making project
environments more friendly, welcoming and nurturing are really key for
the Wikimedia movement generally and the effort to address the gender
gap particularly.
We tend to accept the "hazing" nature of some projects as given, and
the skin-thickening that results as an achievement. All of our most
active and influential contributors are those who have "survived"
community initiation, and they may be less likely to see the need for
structures that provide a softer entry. If we can get support for
building softer paths to contributing and a more protected
environment, I think (and this article argues convincingly) that will
solve a lot of growing problems within Wikimedia.
Nathan
(P.S. The note of FOSS' communities "allergy" to the word feminism
suggests a potential tactic for how to improve community acceptance of
improvements aimed at attracting a more diverse contributor base:
market them in a broad way to the general community, and as the Wiki
equivalent of Railsbridge to more targeted audiences).