Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon returns to elevate online recognition of women in STEMM
Sydney, Thursday 7 April 2022 – Women working in the health, medical and life sciences sectors will take to their keyboards on World Health Day to increase the visibility of women in science on Wikipedia, combatting gender bias on the online encyclopaedia.
Only 19% of all profiles on Wikipedia are about women1. The Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon is part of an ongoing global movement that aims to ensure Wikipedia is more representative of diverse talent in STEMM and their contributions to society. Participants will add and update pages to include the achievements of health and medical researchers who are women.
This is the second time that Franklin Women – a social enterprise that empowers women pursuing careers across the health and medical research sector – and biopharmaceutical company AbbVie Australia join forces to host the event on Thursday 7 April 2022.
Dr Melina Georgousakis, founder of Franklin Women, says the success of their first Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon highlighted how important grass roots events like this are to increase awareness of gender bias online, but also to drive momentum towards change.
“Two and a half years have passed since our first Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon and while more than 70,000 new Wikipedia profiles have been added for women over this time, women still only account for around 19% of profiles on the global encyclopaedia,” said Dr Georgousakis.
“Addressing gender bias on Wikipedia is not just about equity, it is also about ensuring that scientific discoveries and their impact on society are accurately captured. When people search
