[WikiEN-l] NY Times article on gender gap in Wikipedia contributors

[Rob]

I think most of the responses here have people attempting to chain
their own personal hobby horses to the issue of the gender gap.  Sure,
we have preexisting issues that could possibly alleviate that gap if
addressed, but does anyone think that increasing RFA standards or
ArbCom policies regarding admin civility are really the reason why we
only have a preposterously large 13-87% gender gap.  That isn't a gap,
it's a canyon.

In the article, Joseph Reagle notes that we're  “open to very
difficult, high-conflict people, even misogynists,” and I think maybe
those sorts of people are coddled too much on Wikipedia.  For all the
talk about admin civility, a newcomer is likely to be more put off by
other editors than admins and a newcomer will likely have no idea how
or where to seek redress.  Even for established editors it is
difficult to obtain assistance when faced with persistent incivility.
Most websites have a "report a problem" link.  Why don't we have one
that directs newcomers to the appropriate noticeboard where they can
request assistance?

Most of the text of the article is given over to a discussion of the
gender gap in content. I had to start the article on Manolo Blahnik
mentioned in the Times, and if you know how little I know about
fashion, you'd know that's pretty sad.   If the gender gap in content
is off putting to potential female contributors and thus fosters a
gender gap in contributors, perhaps we could help close the latter by
closing the former.  Contests to create more articles, featuring more
of them on the front page, etc.