Gender inequality in new media: Evidence from Wikipedia

Hinnosaar, Marit

Abstract

Media is critical for gender equality. I analyze Wikipedia, one of the prominent examples of new media. Using data from a survey and a randomized survey experiment, I study why women are less likely to contribute to Wikipedia, the implications of the gender gap on Wikipedia’s content, and what can be done about it. I find that: (1) gender differences in the frequency of Wikipedia use and in beliefs about one’s competence explain a large share of the gender gap in Wikipedia writing; (2) the gender gap among contributors leads to unequal coverage of topics; (3) providing information about gender inequality has a large effect on contributions.

Citation

Hinnosaar, M. (2019). Gender inequality in new media: Evidence from Wikipedia. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 163, 262-276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2019.04.020

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 19, 2019
• Online Publication Date: May 16, 2019
• Publication Date: 2019-07
• Deposit Date: Aug 25, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: May 17, 2022
• Journal: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
• Print ISSN: 0167-2681
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 163
• Pages: 262-276
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2019.04.020
• Keywords: Economics and Econometrics; Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5155512
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268119301234?via%3Dihub