On 20 February 2011 11:35, Miguelinito
<miguelinito(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Nice of you to read all the opinions (I also do).
>
> Regarding your objective to increase the participation of women
> up to 25 % in the next four years, why not 20 % or 30 %? I mean,
> what reasons did you consider to choose that number? Is there some
> stadistical study or something like that that suggests that number
> as a suitable one, or is it just an arbitrary number chosen by somebody?
> In the same line, what would you say if finally the result were 10 %?
> Or 30 %? If 25 % is just a personal choice, under which criteria you could
> think that you succeded or failed? Is it a scientifical effort, or
> just a political effort under the knowledge that it's more than
> probable that in four years (due to the natural increase of
> implication of women in men's traditional roles) the final
> percentage will be much higher than 25 %? Please let me know;
> maybe I am wrong, together with some other people who think
> like me. I need to *trust* you and *understand* you to have
> positive feelings about the openness of this project.
>
on 2/20/11 3:36 PM, Sue Gardner at sgardner(a)wikimedia.org wrote:
<Snip>
If Wikipedia can reduce some of the current
impediments
to participation (ie., if we can achieve better usability, a less
combative culture, a culture that supports and coaches new editors, a
culture in which people are respectful of what they don't know and
don't tend to reflexively delete contributions from people who are
different from them), then I think that will make it easier for ALL
new people. Which would be good.
<Snip:
We can't afford --and we don't want-- to lose
good
people. We want them here!) So I think achieving 25% won't be easy.
But I think that if we put effort into achieving 25%, that 25% is a
large enough minority that those editors will be able themselves to
achieve some culture change, thereby effecting a virtuous cycle of
openness. Basically, if my theory is correct, it'll be very tough for
the first wave of new female editors, but it will get easier over
time.
Sue, as you know, this is the area of my greatest concern regarding the
future of the Wikipedia Project. The gender gap is a part of the larger
problem you described above: That of a combative, hostile and defensive
culture that presents an unchecked arena for Community Member harassment and
abuse - that prevents the type of healthy, intelligent and productive
collaboration that can, and will, improve and maintain the quality of the
Project. Is there, are there, plans to mount a similar initiative to tackle
this larger problem? To approach it as a gender-neutral problem?
Marc Riddell