The Never-ending Night of Wikipedia’s Notability Woman Problem

Michelle Moravec @professmoravecWith tremendous assistance from Rosalba Ugliuzza

WikiProject Countering systemic bias

The Wikipedia project suffers systemic bias that naturally grows from its contributors' demographic groups, manifesting an imbalanced coverage of a subject, thereby leaving less represented demographic groups without adequate coverage.

“Millions of the sex whose names were never known beyond the circles of their own home influences have been as worthy of commendation as those here commemorated. Stars are never seen either through the dense cloud or bright sunshine; but when daylight is withdrawn from a clear sky they tremble forth” Sarah Josepha Hale, Woman’s Record (1853)

This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia articles cover notable topics—those that have gained sufficiently significant attention by the world at large and over a period of time, and are not outside the scope of Wikipedia. We consider evidence from reliable independent sources to gauge this attention. The notability guideline does not determine the content of articles, but only whether the topic should have its own article.

Wikipedia:Notability

Gisela of Kerzenbroeck • nominated for deletion on the basis that the article

“lacked context” and was “very incomplete.” I immediately defended the article’s existence on the AfD (Article for Deletion) page, citing the fact that her most notable work, the Codex Gisele, is a significant medieval manuscript and her life and work have been the subject of several published studies. Several other Wikimedians came to the defense of the article and the discussion that ensued is evidence of how exciting the process of writing and editing on Wikipedia can be. Needless to say, the result of the discussion was a “speedy keep.”

Women and AgingMaude Gauthier and Kim Sawchuk

this entry was nominated for deletion almost instantly. It was deleted, re-established, and then re-nominated for deletion. The Wikipedian nominating its deletion admits to a keen interest in MRM, the Men’s Rights Movements, however in justifying his deletions he relies on Wikipedia’s criteria of notability, the idea of neutrality and Wikipedia’s referencing system to justify his position.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikiproject_Women_Wikipedia_Design

“others have rendered valuable assistance in the same way, and in affording me an opportunity of examining family papers in their possession” Elizabeth Fries Ellet , The Women of the American Revolution, Volume 1, Part 2 (1845)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bustill_Mossell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ritter_Beard

When writing about women on Wikipedia, make sure the content and titles do not inadvertently use sexist language or promote sexist stereotypes

Wikipedia:Writing about women

Notable American Women“missing” from Wikipediaby selected classifications

Sallie Holley, agent of the American Anti-Slavery Society, after the Civil War, she and Caroline Putnam relocated to the South to run a school for free blacks.

Eva del Vakia Bowles was a long time YWCA worker who spent her life trying to improve interracial relations. She was the first black woman hired by the YWCA to head a branch.

Addie D. Waites Hunton, also a Y worker founding member of the NAACP, along with her friend authored Two Colored Women with the American Expeditionary Forces, field worker for the NAACP, a member of the WILPF, observer in Haiti in 1926 as part of that group.

Lucy Ella Moten, born to free black family, in 1883 became as principal of Miner Normal School, in earned an M.D., and taught in the South during summer “vacations”

Frances Gage, abolitionist, chaired woman’s rights convention and over rode protests to give Sojourner Truth the floor where she delivered the speech now called Ain’t I a Woman, Gage’s rendering of the account of that speech became a foundational document

1. Improve articles2. Add links to articles3. Add women to existing articles4. Start an article or stub