This exchange about who women are, the influence of religion on gender roles
and participation may have some relevancy to Wikipedia's gender gap. It
certainly exposes some differences in knowledge and perhaps experience of
what is going on in the field of women and religion and some cross cultural
assumptions that women working in that field as well as in international
development, NGO advocacy and politics are doing - and public opinion on
religion through polling and other communications mechanisms and Wiki
entries could make knowledge available. Miguel, I work extensively in both
the US and Latin America and one of my major fields is women and religion,
especially but not exclusively Catholicism ( I am leaving tomorrow for El
Salvador to do a workshop there with women). The reality of what is going on
in LAC and the US is so very different from what you describe. I wonder how
Wikipedia articles and biographies in English and Spanish versions reflect
the enormous shift in the way women who are "faithful" are changing religion
itself? You have sparked my interest in taking a look at which women
leaders in religion have bios on Wikipedia, which movements and events are
chronicled, how the bios of male religious leaders reflect their stances on
women. For example, does the bio of bishop Samuel Ruiz, an advocate for
indigenous people's rights and broker between the Mexican government and the
Zapatistas mention his threat to excommunicate legislators in Chiapas who
voted for legal abortion in that state? While I don't think the gendergap
list is a place for a forum on the substance of women's identity, life, etc
and indeed some of what has been said here pushes my buttons and some of it
amuses me, I think it may help illuminate what is missing on Wikipedia
regarding events, ideologies, trends, thinking about women and the world and
what, if women were convinced Wikipedia was an important place for that
knowledge to be located, women would contribute to more relevant and up to
date info being online .
Frances Kissling, visiting scholar
Center for Bioethics, UPenn
202 368 3954
