I've noticed this for years -- fewer women's biographies vs. men's in an average week at the DYK section of the main page. Maybe I've noticed this because I'm a highly prolific contributor to DYK. But I've wondered how many reader eyeballs land on the main page and notice the same thing?

Some statistics here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Recent_additions

Annually, there's a preponderance of women's biographies in March (Women's History Month). And during the rest of the year, there's the occasional set (6-7 "hooks") or occasional day (2-3 sets) where the majority of the biographies are regarding women. But it's an uncommon occurrence over the course of a week. The reason seems simple:  fewer women's biographies are being nominated by editors, so fewer are promoted, and fewer appear at DYK. It almost goes without saying that fewer women's biographies are created/expanded compared to men's but it's actually important to address this, as IMO, it's the crux of the problem. I am not suggesting and would not support setting limits on the number of men's biographies which appear at DYK. Instead, I'd like to believe that issue/problem recognition is the first step before we brainstorm some objectives, develop workplans (i.e. monthly edit-a-thons anyone?), and measure outcomes. 

I'm considering creating a proposal and applying for a grant to work on this "percentage issue". Feedback?

-Rosie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Rosiestep

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