A Spanish academic studying communication and media has found that “despite right-wing criticism of its ‘woke’ agenda, a persistent gender gap has shaped [Wikipedia’s content and participation for over a decade.”
In her March 7, 2025 article for The Conversation, Núria Ferran-Ferrer of the University of Barcelona cites other recent research (funded by the Wikimedia Foundation Research Grant) that debunks right-wing attacks on Wikipedia. According to these studies, biographies on the front pages on the home pages of English and Spanish Wikipedia are:
- Heavily tilted towards men
- Mostly about white individuals
- Dominated by Christian figures
- Over-whelmingly feature English speakers
- Most commonly include politicians, writers and scientists, “while fields traditionally associated with women, such as nursing or caregiving, were nearly absent. Interestingly, while one of the most common professions for women with Wikipedia articles is actress – including many from the adult film industry – this profession does not appear on the main page.”
Ferran-Ferrer’s research, currently on its way to publication, has found that 19% of Wikipedia biographies feature women, and 10-15% of editors are female. These may be the most up-to-date figures on Wikipedia’s gender gap.
Other recent research she cites covers several issues familiar to Women Do News and other projects focused on closing Wikipedia’s gender gap, such as:
- “[W]omen’s biographies are more frequently nominated for deletion, often with claims that they lack “notability”: a requirement that is more difficult for women to meet due to their historical exclusion from traditional sources of recognition.”
- “[W]omen face greater hurdles to appearing in the media, which is the primary source of information for Wikipedia articles.”
- “Wikipedia’s culture, policies, and power dynamics favour established editors (predominantly men) and create an unwelcoming environment for newcomers, particularly women.”
- “Wikipedia reflects the inequalities present in society at large.”
She closes by stating that “despite its faults, Wikipedia is a huge achievement. It is the world’s largest and most widely accessed knowledge platform, and it belongs freely to nobody and everybody. It is therefore within everybody’s power to make it a place that reflects the diversity of human experience, where all voices are heard and valued.”