Global Gender Differences in Wikipedia Readership
Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, vol. 15, pp. 254–265
Abstract
Wikipedia represents the largest and most popular source of encyclopedic knowledge in the world, aiming to provide equal access to information worldwide. From a global online survey of 65,031 readers of Wikipedia and their corresponding reading logs, we present first evidence of gender differences in Wikipedia readership and how they manifest in records of user behavior. More specifically we report that (1) women are underrepresented among readers of Wikipedia, (2) women view fewer pages per reading session than men do, (3) men and women visit Wikipedia for similar reasons, and (4) men and women exhibit specific topical preferences. Our findings lay the foundation for identifying pathways toward knowledge equity in the usage of online encyclopedic knowledge.
Authors 6
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Affiliation as printed
Wikimedia Foundation
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Affiliation as printed
University of Passau
University Of Passau
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Affiliation as printed
Wikimedia Foundation
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École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Affiliation as printed
EPFL
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Markus Strohmaier Aachen
GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
RWTH Aachen University GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
RWTH Aachen University#N#GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
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Affiliation as printed
Wikimedia Foundation
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