[Gendergap] Introduction and some thoughts

[Pharos]

2011/2/2 Delphine Ménard <notafishz at gmail.com>:
<snip>
> However, I am extremely interested in the fact that, at least to my
> observation, the gender gap is slightly less important in the
> organization (Wikimedia) than it might be in the projects. While
> real-life informal meet-ups are very much male dominated, it seems to
> me that the organisation of events, chapter boards and membership, for
> example, are somehow not so male dominated. Or rather, that more women
> actually have found their place in those, and are often the lead in
> making things happen in real life.
>
> I might be mistaken, and it might be some kind of a "selective
> awareness" which makes me see only the women, but I'd be interested in
> any kind of study that gives facts about how and why women engage in
> other parts of the Wikimedia movement, other than editing the
> projects.

The lessened gender gap on the organizational level of Wikimedia has
occurred to me as well.

I believe I have the answer for this, but it is not necessarily a
"happy answer".

The online projects attract a good range of somewhat introverted
tech-centric people, mostly male, who are not necessarily best
equipped (or feel sufficiently confident) for real-life organizational
activities.

People involved in real-life organizational activities are then
somewhat more resembling of the general population on average (myself
clearly excluded!), and so what we're really seeing I think is a
"drop-out" of some of the nerdish personality types on this level.

Thanks,
Richard
(User:Pharos)