I'd like to say that someone told me that many of her "feminist" (to use her words) female friends left this list after a few hours after they saw many male wikipedia admins talking and those female afraid of speaking their minds. I think it's a bigger underlying problem that many people (but especially many females) are afraid to take huge chances in order to risk their reputation. This is also part of the problem with big corporations, who are afraid to risk too much at once, and to reduce the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variance of failure.
What is the worst thing that a wikipedia admin or person-in-power can do to someone who posts in this list? Ban him/her from this list? Comment on their wikipedia page? There's a limit to how much they can morally, ethically or regulation-wise do. Like my father says "Always think what is the worst case scenario?". Also see:
Regards,
Shlomi Fish
I suppose I'm largely to "blame" for people throwing up their hands and leaving the list. With respect to reputation there are issues. Early on one of our women leaders lost her job, it was a good professional one, after someone outed her to her employer.
However it is not Wikipedia admins or persons-in-power who do that sort of thing. We are the people who protect, insofar as we are able, editors from that sort of thing.
I know I must have erred in my approach, but when I was talking about occasional "high-noon" moments that sort of difficult struggle is what I was talking about, taking risks, and enduring difficulties, in order to maintain the integrity of the project, which includes an opportunity for women to participate fully at all levels.
Fred