On Nov 12, 2006, at 3:58 PM, Ryan Wetherell wrote:
Sigvardsson seemed to be suggesting that we need to do something to "fix" the gender imbalance issue on Wikipedia. I think that nothing can be done, people will and should come and go as they please, regardless of gender. I'm not really sure what kinds of ideas Sigvardsson might have other than, as Barrett pointed out, quotas, which are totally ridiculous and unnecessary in these circumstances. Sorry if my inference was incorrect/mangled.
Quotas are not the only way to encourage female participation in aspects of Wikipedia.
1) Encourage female friends who are knowledgeable about subjects to contribute 2) Encourage female contributors to stand for adminship and the arbcom 3) Consider the importance of gender balance in arbcom in making your selections in the arbcom elections.
None of these involve establishing quotas - they involve considering issues of gender (or race, or sexuality, or anything else you're invested in here) in making choices.
-Phil