Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red
Home | Article alerts | Essays | Events | Ideas & planning | Images | Join | Metrics | Outreach | Redlist index | Research | Resources | Showcase | Social media | Tools & tech |
Find us ... | |
---|---|
Here: | |
or at | https://w.wiki/347 |
![]() |
About[edit]
Welcome to Women in Red (WiR)! We are a group of volunteer (unpaid) editors of all genders who live around the world and speak dozens of languages. Across different language Wikipedias, we focus on reducing systemic bias regarding gender representation (content gender gap) in the wiki movement. Our goal is to "move the needle" in terms of statistical representation of women and other gender minorities on Wikipedia. We recognized a need for this work in 2014 when we learned that, as of October 2014, only 15.53% of English Wikipedia's biographies were about women.[1] Without a particular percentage in mind, we recognized that with persistence, we could increase it, one article at a time. With only this in mind, Women in Red was established in July 2015, at Wikimania Mexico City, by Roger Bamkin and Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight.
According to Humaniki, the percentage of women's biographies on the English Wikipedia has reached 19.83% as of 13 May 2024. That means that of 2,002,736 biographies, only 397,049 are about women.[2] Not impressed? "Content gender gap" is a form of systemic bias, and WiR addresses it in a positive way through shared values.
Can we increase the percentage still further? Yes! But we need you in order to do so. How? There are more than 30,000 general forum comments from over a thousand different editors on our talkpage.[3] Ask there. You don't have to be a member in order to participate in the conversations; just please be civil.
Do the articles have to be perfect when they are created? No. But establishing them according to Wikipedia's policies is the first step, and that's the focus of Women in Red: new article creation. Over time, other editors will improve these articles; maybe that's you.
Where the work is done[edit]
On Wikipedia[edit]
Our Wikipedia WikiProject focuses on creating content regarding women's biographies, women's works, and women's issues. Our editors create articles in many different language Wikipedias. The objective is to turn "redlinks" (like this one) into blue ones. That's why we are called "Women in Red".
We take an inclusive view towards subject matter, editors, and language communities:
- Editors: We do not focus on the gender of the editor. Anyone/everyone is welcome to be a member, participant, enthusiast of Women in Red. If you participate in WiR, you can join up officially using the box in the top right-hand corner of this page. You are also welcome to add our userbox template
{{User WikiProject Women in Red}}
to your user page, to produce:
|
- Language communities: While Women in Red began on English Wikipedia, it is an international commitment with dozens of other language communities. Please add a link to your language's coordination page here.
- Subject matter:
- If the subject of the article self-identifies as a woman—binary and/or non-binary and/or other, that person is included within the scope of Women in Red. Historic cases where it's unknown how they self-identified also count. The goal of the project is to increase inclusion, and we'd rather not block article subjects from being included in an article creation drive.
- In addition to creating new articles, we create and maintain hundreds of lists of "missing" notable women. Some of these women have an article on some language Wikipedia, while others have no article in any Wikipedia. We call these lists, "redlists".
- Click on our Redlinks index to see our lists of missing articles by focus area, occupation and nationality. Like everything else on Wikipedia, this is incomplete, so feel free to add pertinent items to our crowd-sourced lists.
- While all redlists have redlinks, our redlists are generated in numerous ways:
- crowd-sourced (example, Crafts)
- Wikidata-generated (example, Herpetologists)
- based on a dictionary or other reference book (example, Encyclopédie Larousse)
- based on a website (example, BBC 100 Women)
- based on an international Authority Control (example, VIAF)
Wikimedia Commons[edit]

Every year, our members upload thousands of images to Wikimedia Commons: photographs of women, their signatures, their works, etc. In turn, these images can be added to Wikipedia articles. This is another way people can be involved in improving women's representation on Wikipedia. Over 10,000 new images were added in 2022.
Wikidata[edit]
We create and improve Wikidata items related to women, women's works, and women's issues.
Announcements[edit]
- Please post recent announcements directly on this page for improved page editing history, watcher alerts and greater visibility
Add new announcements to the top. Sign with ~~~~. Remove old ones after a couple of months.
- New redlists: Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, A Historical Dictionary of British Women, American Women Artists, Past and Present, Dictionary of Wisconsin History, Italian Women Writers, Mujeres de Nuestra Tierra (Argentina), Representative Women of New England, Encyclopedia of China
Events[edit]
- For a complete list of events, visit Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red/Events.
Ongoing initiatives
New for this month
Recently completed
Upcoming events
Lists of red links[edit]
WiR works by filling in missing articles based on extensive lists of needed topics. The index to our wide range of topics and nationalities can be found at the Redlist index. Please make these red links blue. Notable women without a Wikipedia biography can be added to any crowd-sourced redlists they match; and added to wikidata such that they're included in wikidata-derived redlists. We also have a guide to adding names to redlists, and to creating new redlists.
Article alerts[edit]
- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Deletion sorting/Women for articles about women that are nominated for deletion.
- This section is a transcluded subpage, and may contain more information than is shown here. To view or edit, go to /Article alerts (watch this section).
- Note: This report is based on the {{WIR}} banners of WikiProject Women in Red. If an article isn't listed here, first verify that it has one of those banners. If it has another women-related banner, like {{WikiProject Women}}, {{WikiProject Women's History}} or {{WikiProject Women scientists}}, look on those projects' article alert pages instead.
Today's featured article requests
- 25 Jul 2024 – Phoolan Devi (talk · edit · hist) has been proposed for Today's Featured Article by Mujinga (t · c); see discussion
Did you know
- 26 May 2024 – Brittany Luse (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Innisfree987 (t · c); see discussion
- 24 May 2024 – Jaelyn Brown (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by BeanieFan11 (t · c); see discussion
- 22 May 2024 – Lois E. Trott (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 21 May 2024 – Mary A. Wray (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Bianca Babb (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Anna Russell Cole (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 15 May 2024 – Mary Ann Wells (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 15 May 2024 – Grace A. Johnson (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Xoak (t · c); see discussion
- 12 May 2024 – Rachel Brem (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Mary Mark Ockerbloom (t · c); see discussion
- 12 May 2024 – Lillie Shockney (talk · edit · hist) was nominated for DYK by Mary Mark Ockerbloom (t · c); see discussion
- (2 more...)
Articles for deletion
- 30 May 2024 – Nina Menegatto (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Di (they-them) (t · c); see discussion (1 participant)
- 30 May 2024 – Marlese Durr (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Mdann52 (t · c); see discussion (3 participants)
- 30 May 2024 – Georgie Campbell (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Firestar464 (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 29 May 2024 – Bhoomika Mirchandani (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by Dclemens1971 (t · c); see discussion (1 participant)
- 29 May 2024 – Tahani Al-Yanbaawi (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by JTtheOG (t · c); see discussion (1 participant)
- 29 May 2024 – May Gilbert (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by LibStar (t · c); see discussion (0 participants)
- 29 May 2024 – Danialle Karmanos (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by BoraVoro (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 29 May 2024 – Victoria Starmer (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by IgnatiusofLondon (t · c); see discussion (3 participants)
- 29 May 2024 – Sachiko Furuhata-Kersting (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by LoganP25 (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- 28 May 2024 – Bronwyn Labrum (talk · edit · hist) was AfDed by LibStar (t · c); see discussion (2 participants)
- (98 more...)
Proposed deletions
- 28 May 2024 – Tahani Al-Yanbaawi (talk · edit · hist) PRODed by JTtheOG (t · c) was deproded by Raljidani (t · c) (author) on 29 May 2024
Featured article candidates
- 18 May 2024 – Addie Viola Smith (talk · edit · hist) was FA nominated by Voorts (t · c); see discussion
Good article nominees
- 28 May 2024 – Luise Duttenhofer (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Kusma (t · c); start discussion
- 17 May 2024 – Hurra-yi Khuttali (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Amir Ghandi (t · c); start discussion
- 23 Mar 2024 – Cecelia Hall (mezzo-soprano) (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by Gerda Arendt (t · c); start discussion
- 11 Dec 2023 – Nina Popova (official) (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by SusunW (t · c); start discussion
- 16 Nov 2023 – Women's International Democratic Federation (talk · edit · hist) was GA nominated by SusunW (t · c); start discussion
Requests for comments
- 24 May 2024 – Eden Golan (talk · edit · hist) has an RfC by ArmorredKnight (t · c); see discussion
Articles for creation
- 29 May 2024 – Draft:Breiana Whitehead (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by DeemDeem52 (t · c)
- 22 May 2024 – Draft:Tamara Franklin (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Minuette Macon (t · c)
- 20 May 2024 – Draft:Meekyoung Shin (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Dalmationrotary (t · c)
- 05 May 2024 – Draft:Kerstin Preiwuß (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Takeru Watanabe (t · c)
- 02 May 2024 – Draft:Khadijeh Mirdamadi (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Claggy (t · c)
- 30 Apr 2024 – Draft:Arrest of Silva Harotonian (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Claggy (t · c)
- 11 Apr 2024 – Draft:Bahar Atish (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Harold Krabs (t · c)
- 15 Feb 2024 – Draft:Brittany Spanos (talk · edit · hist) has been submitted for AfC by Stifle (t · c)
- 22 May 2024 – Draft:Durana Elmi (talk · edit · hist) submitted for AfC by Gnome Scribes (t · c) was declined by Scope creep (t · c) on 28 May 2024
- 22 May 2024 – Draft:Marsha Perelman (talk · edit · hist) submitted for AfC by Sloane05 (t · c) was declined by Scope creep (t · c) on 28 May 2024
- (2 more...)
Declined drafts[edit]
Thanks firstly to Ronhjones, and now to Galobtter, we have a bot showing declined drafts submitted to AfC. Weekly updates highlight those most recently listed under New Additions. With a little bit of attention, some of them could well be moved to mainspace, encouraging the editors who created them to progress on Wikipedia.
Resources and research[edit]
WiR maintains resources to help you contribute, including lists of topical books and external links, information on editing in general, and contacts you can reach out to for specific needs. They can be found at Resources.
Academic research on Wikipedia's content gender gap is also documented at Research.
Metrics[edit]
- This section is a transcluded subpage, containing more information than is shown here. To view detailed month-by-month results or to edit, go to Metrics.
About: additional details[edit]
The articles created for any month, including the current month, can be displayed by clicking on one of the months in the archive box.
We track the articles we create each month. Reports bot updates these lists automatically, but you can manually add and annotate entries. The bot will remove non-existent pages. More details about the bot. Our metrics talkpage is here: Metrics talkpage
The evolving list for this month (see Archives box) is created by the bot which lists new women's biographies on the basis of their female gender on Wikidata. At present, the bot does not list women's works, associations or related articles but you are encouraged to add these to the list manually. A WiR Wikidata page provides information on how you can help ensure WiR metrics are up-to-date.
The graph shows the number of articles created each month. The apparent decrease for the current month reflects the number of articles created up to today's date. Only data on completed months indicate overall progress.
For personal metrics on how many articles you've created about women, see this tool.
If you want to measure gender diversity in a given Wikipedia article, use this tool.
Totals at a glance[edit]
Year | Portion if applicable |
Total | Daily average |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | 18 Jul - 31 Dec | 11,711 | 70 |
2016 | 28,399 | 77 | |
2017 | 28,271 | 77 | |
2018 | 27,323 | 75 | |
2019 | 27,207 | 75 | |
2020 | 30,119 | 82 | |
2021 | 26,780 | 73 | |
2022 | 18,893 | 52 | |
2023 | 17,925 | 49 | |
2024 | |||
Grand total | 216,628 |
Updated: Rosiestep (talk) 17:31, 2 February 2024 (UTC)
Summary of Women in Red statistics from main page[edit]
Date | Women | Bios | Percentage | Increase in % for year |
Increase in Women for year |
Increase in Bios for year |
Percentage for year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30-Sep-2015 | 205,814 | 1,299,047 | 15.84% | ||||
1-Jan-2017 | 240,445 | 1,432,907 | 16.78% | 0.94% | 34,631 | 133,860 | 25.87% |
1-Jan-2018 | 262,099 | 1,509,348 | 17.37% | 0.58% | 21,654 | 76,441 | 28.33% |
31-Dec-2018 | 279,959 | 1,573,341 | 17.79% | 0.43% | 17,860 | 63,993 | 27.91% |
30-Dec-2019 | 305,072 | 1,678,323 | 18.18% | 0.38% | 25,113 | 104,982 | 23.92% |
11-Jan-2021 | 332,622 | 1,778,126 | 18.71% | 0.53% | 27,550 | 99,803 | 27.60% |
3-Jan-2022 | 356,439 | 1,865,516 | 19.11% | 0.40% | 23,817 | 87,390 | 27.25% |
2-Jan-2023 | 373,263 | 1,921,359 | 19.43% | 0.32% | 16,824 | 55,843 | 30.13% |
1-Jan-2024 | 390,207 | 1,978,991 | 19.72% | 0.29% | 16,944 | 57,632 | 29.40% |
Total | 184,393 | 679,944 | 27.12% |
Note: the September 2015 figure was reported here.
Updated by: TSventon (talk) 22:04, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
Further background on metrics[edit]
As a result of figures presented by Humaniki, we keep posting on the main Women in Red page the percentage of women's biographies on the English version of Wikipedia. Increases are steady but marginal: for example from July 2022 to July 2023, the percentage has risen from around 19.3% to around 19.6%.
Thanks to an analysis presented by Andrew Gray on the WIR talk page, it certainly looks as if the number of men and women involved in sports has a significant influence on the statistics for women. A detailed account of Gray's work is presented in "Gender and BLPs on Wikipedia, redux", which he published on 2 August 2023.
The two lists below show that biographies of living people (BLPs) born in recent years are approximately 50% female if data on all categories of athletes are excluded. By contrast, the equivalent overall figures (including athletes) are only around 25%. As a result, biographies of very large numbers of male sportspeople seem to be responsible for the huge difference. Andrew Gray's detailed lists below document how figures for BLPs by year of birth have evolved over the years:
Overall development of BLPs since the 1920s for all biographies
- Missing birth year BLPs - 150,574, of which 53,355 female - 35.4%
- 1920s birth BLPs - 5,096, of which 1,325 female - 26.0%
- 1930s birth BLPs - 39,055, of which 7,086 female - 18.1%
- 1940s birth BLPs - 95,602, of which 18,495 female - 19.3%
- 1950s birth BLPs - 128,518, of which 27,172 female - 21.1%
- 1960s birth BLPs - 145,300, of which 33,390 female - 23.0%
- 1970s birth BLPs - 150,539, of which 37,893 female - 25.2%
- 1980s birth BLPs - 171,072, of which 42,880 female - 25.1%
- 1990s birth BLPs - 150,880, of which 36,944 female - 24.5%
- 2000s birth BLPs - 30,042, of which 7,542 female - 25.1%
Development of BLPs since the 1920s for biographies excluding athletes
If we discount all athletes using the infobox method, the results are:
- Missing birth year BLPs - 140,177, of which 51,021 female - 36.4%
- 1920s birth BLPs - 4,321, of which 1,228 female - 28.4%
- 1930s birth BLPs - 28,978, of which 6,161 female - 21.2%
- 1940s birth BLPs - 73,095, of which 16,566 female - 22.7%
- 1950s birth BLPs - 95,893, of which 23,644 female - 24.7%
- 1960s birth BLPs - 96,175, of which 26,632 female - 27.8%
- 1970s birth BLPs - 81,682, of which 27,562 female - 33.7%
- 1980s birth BLPs - 58,078, of which 24,816 female - 42.7%
- 1990s birth BLPs - 23,281, of which 11,754 female - 50.5%
- 2000s birth BLPs - 2,850, of which 1,539 female - 54.0%
![]() | Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Showcase[edit]
WiR is amazing and has way too much to showcase here. Please see Showcase for our recent and past achievements.
Recent Did You Know? blurbs[edit]
These are the 20 most recent WP:DYK entries for WiR. Updated approximately weekly by User:JL-Bot.
- ... that the Robyn Gigl novel By Way of Sorrow, which features a transgender lawyer as the protagonist, was described as "quietly groundbreaking" by The New York Times? (2024-05-25)
- ... that actress Nellie McCoy suffered a mental breakdown after her theatre performance was criticized, leading to her being committed to a sanatorium? (2024-05-24)
- ... that the 2024 inductees to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame include a man with Down syndrome who has lifted 425 pounds (193 kg) (pictured), an "average gymnast" turned Olympics judge, a "preeminent sportswriter", the state's "greatest high hurdler", the "inventor" of the modern sports mascot, a record-setting 10-year-old, a champion gymnast, an Olympic field hockey player, and a pro baseball player in five countries? (2024-05-23)
- ... that Romani Holocaust survivor Philomena Franz wrote about her deportation to Auschwitz, internment in Ravensbrück, escape from a camp near Wittenberge, and concealment by a farmer? (2024-05-22)
- ... that Josephine Kenyon moved from recommendations of rigid scheduling to "on-demand" scheduling in editions of her book Healthy Babies Are Happy Babies? (2024-05-22)
- ... that Amie Parnes allegedly first heard about her employer, The Messenger, ceasing operations from a New York Times article? (2024-05-22)
- ... that although Agnes Kimball was a popular recording artist of opera and musical theatre, she never appeared as a singing actress on the stage? (2024-05-14)
- ... that actress Edna May Sperl's fiancé was arrested on the day of her wedding by a federal marshal because her fiancé's father opposed the marriage? (2024-05-12)
- ... that Addie Viola Smith was the first female Foreign Service officer to serve under the United States Department of Commerce? (2024-05-11)
- ... that actress Agnes Mapes had to improvise a complex choreographed dance from basic poses for the 1907 play The Holy City? (2024-05-05)
- ... that soprano Olga von Türk-Rohn (pictured) was celebrated for her interpretations of Franz Schubert's lieder? (2024-04-30)
- ... that the healthcare campaigner who pioneered organ donor cards in the UK placed a personal advertisement in The Times looking for a "cadaver kidney" for her son? (2024-04-30)
- ... that Iona Allen, "the only one to ever make a perfect pair of boots", constructed the pair worn by Neil Armstrong on the Moon out of thirteen layers of precisely fabricated material? (2024-04-25)
- ... that the young Turkish open water swimmer Aysu Türkoğlu has completed three of the Oceans Seven series? (2024-04-24)
- ... that before becoming a voice actress, Miyuki Ichijo left the NHK music variety show Stage 101 in protest over the removal of its director? (2024-04-22)
- ... that Full Personality Expression was an organization for cross-dressers that was originally called the Hose & Heels Club? (2024-04-14)
- ... that Alda Milner-Barry, the older sister of World War II Enigma codebreaker Stuart Milner-Barry, worked for British military intelligence during World War I? (2024-04-14)
- ... that Turkish sport shooter Şimal Yılmaz, who qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, had a shooting range in her living room? (2024-04-12)
- ... that The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven, Jo Clifford's 2009 play featuring Jesus as a trans woman, was called an "offensive abuse of Christian beliefs" by Archbishop Mario Conti? (2024-04-08)
- ... that food stylist Susan Spungen estimated that she baked hundreds of pies with Josh Brolin and film staff while practicing for a scene in Labor Day? (2024-04-07)
Transcluding 20 of 2701 total
Press[edit]
There has been considerable press coverage of WiR. Below are some recent articles. To add articles to the list, visit Press.
- " Georgetown hosts Wikipedia edit-a-thon, harnessing anger into action", by Julia Vasilj, The Georgetown Voice, 14 April 2024
- "Wikipedia Needs More Women: Bridging The Gender Gap In Knowledge Representation", Africa.com, 5 April 2024
- "Wikimedia Foundation launches ‘Wikipedia Needs More Women’ campaign" by Josephine Agbonkhese, Vanguard, 8 March 2024
- "On International Women’s Day, Wikimedia Foundation celebrates efforts in Africa to improve gender equity on Wikipedia", The Sun, 8 March 2024
- "Int'l Women's Day: Wikimedia launches 'Wikipedia needs more women' campaign", Business Standard, 8 March 2024
- "Wikipedia needs more women. And India can help bridge this gender gap" by Anusha Alikhan, The Print, 8 March 2024
- "The Guardian view on Wikipedia’s female volunteers: a hive heroism that changes history", editorial, The Guardinan, 8 March 2024, also in connection with Lucy Moore
- "UK academic’s Wikipedia project raises profile of women around the world", by Robyn Vinter on Wikipedian Lucy Moore, The Guardian, 5 March 2024
- "Review highlights gender gap on Wikipedia", by University of Barcelone, Phys.org, 5 March 2024
- "What a Wikipedia page can do for women in STEM", by Olivia Clear, womensagenda.com.au, 11 October 2023
- "‘Why are they not on Wikipedia?’: Dr Jess Wade’s mission for recognition for unsung scientists", by Donna Ferguson, The Observer, 1 October 2023
- "Some Things I Like About the Expanding Wikipedia Universe", by Hilda Bastian, Absolutely Maybe (PLOS) blog, 2 August 2023
- "Bestselling author Kate Mosse urges budding historians and writers to add more biographies of women to Wikipedia", by Fiona Parker, Daily Mail, 3 July 2023
- "The British physicist making women scientists visible online", article about Jess Wade by Anna Cuenca, Phys Org, 20 April 2023
- "Social Scientists Can’t Ignore the Power of Wikipedia—or Its Systemic Biases", by Mariah John-Leighton and Hannah Jane Pearson, London School of Economics and Political Science, 6 April 2023
- "Wheres Russo?" Sky Sports profile Lewes FC including Women in Red Barnstar winner James Boyes 31 March 2023
- "Closing Wikipedia’s Gender Gap, One Edit at a Time", by Sara Norberg, Tufts Now, 27 March 2023
- Nature asks 6 to comment on their plans for International Women's Day including Jess Wade.
- "Majority of Wikipedia editors are still men - so how is the online encyclopaedia addressing the issue?", Evening Standard, 8 March 2023.
- "Lewes FC is delighted that our own volunteer club photographer James Boyes has received a ‘Barnstar’ award from Women in Red, and is indeed the only person to receive one in 2022."
Academia[edit]
In addition to listings under Research, academic papers on gender bias in Wikipedia (as recorded in Wikidata) are listed in Scholia.
To include a paper, create an item about it on Wikidata (check first to avoid duplicates) and give it main subject (P921) = gender bias on Wikipedia (Q17002416).
References[edit]
- ^ Graells-Garrido, Eduardo; Lalmas, Mounia; Menczer, Filippo (2015). "First Women, Second Sex: Gender Bias in Wikipedia". Proceedings of the 26th ACM Conference on Hypertext & Social Media - HT '15: 165–174. arXiv:1502.02341. doi:10.1145/2700171.2791036. S2CID 1082360.
- ^ "Humaniki".
- ^ "Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Women in Red • en.wikipedia.org". XTools.
External links[edit]

- Women in Red on Twitter
- Interest in women's history began much earlier than is assumed, Phys Org, August 25, 2015
![]() | This is a WikiProject, an area for focused collaboration among Wikipedians. New participants are welcome; please feel free to participate!
|