[Gendergap] About "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha" & the "World Brain"
Dear Wikipedia Colleagues, I am delighted to let you know that the Catholic organization, Catholic Online, is using Wikipedia's information to detail the life of indigenous, Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th Century woman who lived in North America. She is the first Native American to become a saint. I am delighted that Wikipedia provides informative and factual information to the world about this woman! There are great articles in the news media today about it, many obviously borrowing from Wikipedia to fill in the history. This is a victory for Wikipedia, the "World Brain." Read more about: "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha..." at: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=154 ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Battles & battalions
Dear colleagues, Examples like these remind us how important a sense of humor is for successfully remaining and being productive in the grand work of Wikipedia. By the time I got through the series of comments LauraHale asks us to consider, I was again reminded of why I like Wikipedians and why I am outraged by Wikipedians. Gallows humor can set in, but hope is sparked too. Stick with it Laura, you are making headway. There is decent (if exasperating) engagement going on, not bad. Meanwhile, does anybody have an amusing joke to keep the rest of us amicably disposed to the "world brain' project? How about an anecdote? I have a little one: Somehow I'd surfed my way into a situation (seemed all male) where an admin (a) had taken to task, threatened, and ultimately exaggerated the sins of a (supposed) Canadian teenager(t) who'd created a segment on a page donning himself the First Lord or Baron of somewhere - something like that. The (a) was not very civil and after I visited the 'lord' page, I believed (a) had taken the facts and got ahead of himself. It was clear to me an exuberant new Wikipedia contributor (t) got deeply into being a lord, and was especially fond of envisioning and detailing lordly regalia, sabre weaponry, and medals to enhance his lordliness. I decided to weigh in and defend (t) suggesting admins needed to take this (obvious youth) with a grain of salt, gently guide the newcomer, helping create an environment where he distinguishes online gaming characters from what really exists, facts vs. fantasy, if you will. Well, I posted to that effect, because I worried the 'lord' (t) would disappear from Wikipedia forever (and it was obvious he showed 'promise'). Other admins got in on it, agreed with me, and the last I knew, they'd taken (a) 'out behind the woodshed.' I thought that reaction harsh too. I likely posted some kindly comments on Virtues. My ideas were defended, not attacked. I surfed off somewhere else... I hope (t) stayed on board, corrected, and survived his first lordly battles... KSRolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] About Jessie Ackermann
Here, here! Let's appreciate this contribution by one of us,in an effort to see to it that women of the world do not have to ... go to the wall in the hard and fierce struggle... of survival. Nice work colleague, writing on the inspiring life work of a lesser known feminist crusader. KSRolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] WikiWomen's Luncheon at Wikimania
Dear colleagues, I hope someone with survey design experience will be at this event and collect data on how many mothers manage to attend this event. We need to know whether women have adult or young children, and whether they are single parents, their ethnicity, and professional training. This will provide truly useful data, if done scientifically. I can help write an instrument if called upon to do so. Let us not overlook single parent fathers and alternative parents. My hypothesis is that there will be extremely few of any of these. Dads (in some ethnicities) get a social 'bonus' for being parents (increased social status), unlike mothers, so its important to distinguish clearly who is supporting and raising children, not just having parented and kids exist in the world kinds of data. KSRolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Clarification of topics
Dear esteemed colleagues, I'm enjoying the gendergap list, but I'm getting confused about what each message is referring to. It might be good to state your topic instead of using, 'he', 'she', and 'they.' With a few relatively concurrent topics under discussion, which is fine, I want to make sure I am following, without having to go through several days of email strings. It doesn't seem like a bad idea to make that url on your topic available, either. As I scroll down, you lose me, I see no name for the person under discussion and no link either, might be hidden in the list underbrush... I recently referred to Anita S. I don't know her, don't know how she would be contacted, Andreas. I don't know if she contributes to Wikipedia, even. Anyone who might have weighed in without first exploring the nature of her work missed it's essence. Evidence is useful to this forum and its mission. KSRolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] On Ms. Sarkeesian - tropes - and notability
Dear Wikipedia gender topic colleagues,
I've read the strings and visited Ms. Sarkeesian's Wikipedia and self-published
website, Feminist Frequency, as well as Kickstarter, and Forbes write up about
the Wikipedia Sarkeesian article debacle ("W-SAD").
I weigh in on Ms. Sarkeesian's behalf about notability. Let's give her a
chance to advance the eternal cause of feminine value and voice. She has
extraordinary, and even visionary ideas, and deserves our temperance and
admiration. She is not just a blogger. She is not someone who will become
less meaningful and whose sole impact on society will be only the W-SAD. She
is one of ours, a gem who comes out swinging.
If a page about her went up prematurely, let us watch it evolve, and take
heart, celebrating her crowdsourcing success and ability to challenge
stereotypes of the type W-SAD manifests. This does not mean I am suggesting
she will be world famous in 100 years. The Feminist cause and its merits find
far too few role models. Girl gamers and gender specialists are going to
appreciate having this article and its referencing and links to turn to. The
story is cautionary, and ever-so current. If we have something to be skeptical
about, time will clarify why.
Please, let us give Ms. Sarkeesian's work encouragement to flourish, and see
what this dynamic woman does for the gender gap in space and time. I'm of the
conviction there is profound social importance in this provocative artist's
ideas.
KSRolph
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[Gendergap] Public voice of gendergap
Dear colleagues, There is one reason, and one reason alone, that I have not gotten into the fray about appropriateness of images and some text in Wikipedia. The reason is the discussion ends up on the internet and any search for my name will turn up all the details of everyone's comments. This generates a guilt-by-association situation that can affect real life circumstances that I've already experienced. In discussion with some parents, content added by some, discredits the entire Wikipedia reason-to-exist, and has become 'not-recommended.' As a mother and educator, who has encouraged universities, schools, PTAs, and school districts to embrace Wikipedia, and give students the opportunity to get a feel for ownership and responsible editing, and as a scholar committed to seeking solutions to gender gap issues, I hold the view that some materials are not appropriate. What is not appropriate in schools and libraries has to be something to consider as a measure of acceptability. As a social scientist, it is clear to me cultures vary. There might be considered an Iron Curtain Wikipedia with content that those seeking 'certain topics' could elect to navigate. I'd rather this comment not be attached to any that may follow it, otherwise, I am sidelined from getting into the communication and search for consensus. Thank you, and onward gallant Wikipedians - wherever and whoever you are, KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Mailing List statement
Dear colleagues, As for the 'Wikipedia: Mailing Lists' page [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Mailing_lists ] I too would expect to see the gendergap list there. I propose it be described as follows - anyone can improve it, please - as this is wordy...: "gendergap list focuses on female contributors' concerns, and topics likely to be of interest to people who are female, identify female, and those with particular interest in female voices. The female perspective is and was historically - and even in Wikipedia - minimized in multivariate ways not (yet) well understood. As such, gendergap is intended to be a safe place for controversial or difficult ideas and values." KS Rolph == > Today's Topics: > >1. interesting data for study? glass ceiling - or glassfloor? > (koltzenb...@w4w.net) >2. add gendergap list? / what stats hide (koltzenb...@w4w.net) >3. Re: add gendergap list? / what stats hide (B?ria Lima) > > > -- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 12 May 2012 06:31:40 +0100 > From: koltzenb...@w4w.net > To: gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > Subject: [Gendergap] interesting data for study? glass ceiling - or > glass floor? > Message-ID: <20120512052043.m74...@w4w.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 > > Hi @all, > > I recently mailed an inquiry to a wikipedia list and it seems to me that the > thread that ensued might be > interesting data for study, possibly in the light of gender gap issues > > the thread starts here: > http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/pywikipedia-l/2012-May/007514.html > > btw, let me know if you have any idea (or know of someone who might have) for > the actual topic of my > inquiry, I mean: how to figure out the right query and where start the query > etc. > > thanks & cheers, > Claudia > koltzenb...@w4w.net > > ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] On SF signups for nascent Wikipedia women
On the Women's History Month event in SF and the Bay Area There's a mistaken assumption that new contributors-to-be know how to sign themselves up for this event. Not true. I'm adding those who plan to attend, and they are not yet 'users.' Seems fine, but complete newcomers, no matter how promising, do not know their way around a Wikipedia sign up page. Am getting read for a couple large sends via contact groups, let's see what happens. Who else is doing this? I've mentioned the Clayman and the Borg Institutes. KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] On Notable Women in Wikipedia
Wikipedia colleagues, I want to work within the accepted range of who rises to the level of notable women. The historical problem of women in the news less, and quoted and cited less, is still an issue. I want to mention an important figure, who may otherwise stay out of the news. Please see her page - Michelle Clayman. While Ms. Clayman is in investments, and for that reason may stay out of the limelight, without her philanthropy at the Clayman Institute for Gender Studies, an amazing body of research may have never happened. The scale is global, and her funding support includes game-changing and paradigm-upending research such as "The Motherhood Penalty" and a number of projects focused abroad. Ms. Clayman should (NPOV) be noted for providing the framework, funding, and vision to support research on women's struggles. I've gone ahead and marked the page as a Stanford wiki and/or women's history project; links to the Institute and additional activities are a good idea. KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Hablantes de Castillano o Español?
¿Hay mujeres que hablan español - viviendo en the Bay Area de San Francisco y que les gustaría particpan en la Historia de las Mujeres evento de Wikipedia en marzo? If so, please let me know. ksr ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Women's History Month action plan wiki
See: http://etherpad.wikimedia.org/SFWHM KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] On Women's History Month
I would make a go of this in the San Francisco Bay Area if we could get some traction going. I'll check in with a couple groups I know of, and see where they stand. Do we have an outreach tool kit ready that can be utilized, and if not, seems like an idea too? KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Cause and effect research - gender and diversity in Wikipedia
Dear Colleagues, I have just completed (teaching) a (California - Bay Area) college Wikipedia 'workshop' class, intended to: 1) encourage women and more culturally diverse communities to engage with Wikipedia, and 2) to help us all better understand participation disparity among females and more culturally diverse groups. Data are qualitative and quantitative, taken from direct feedback and participation. I will also make use of formal student evaluations. While students faced challenges in deletions and process, I believe they came away wiser, and most of us agree overseeing Wikipedians accomplish the goal aimed at high quality contributing. We all gradually learn how that is defined, it is iterative, and holds promise. The Ambassador Program, generally, works well too. I welcome correspondence on relevant topics, Karen Sue Rolph, PhD ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] A Scholar Comments on Wikipedia Class
Report to Colleagues Interested in Gender and Culture in the Wikipedia Classroom, It will be no surprise to you that getting used to Wikipedia contributing is a process, and as far as I understand, this is a forum for tackling the gender gap in particular. Our particular Ambassador program is working well, the individuals involved are accessible, knowledgeable, and supportive. Additionally, I've intervened on my students' behalves and generated a message for another user when necessary, asked for tolerance, explained learning circumstances. I always get positive responses from users who'd challenged incompetent newbie contributors. As the real-time classroom leader or navigator, Wikipedia is fun because it challenges learning paradigms, and must be engaging and "student-centered" at the same time as we all discover together; for this reason, I 'brand' the class as a workshop. A structure such as this, however, leads to productivity and grading ambiguity- a greater and more complex issue than I want to elaborate here. But for instance, I am "grading" contributions and the mid-terms are group collaboration projects- there is some academic frontier here. The class' students are a mix, both in gender and ethnicity, and representative of the U.S. today. Some students first language is not English. I loosely utilize Wikipedia's Educator materials. We are reading, "Good Faith Collaboration..." as a basis for historical and societal background about how Wikipedia has evolved, and we augment our understanding with outside readings, sometimes from the news (WikiLeaks and Anonymous are examples of topics that interest students). We have assigned grammar captains (majors in relevant fields), PhotoShop captains (experience with PS), and an HTML captain (writes code). Student-to-student participation in the workshop is important, yet added to that, students today come to class with mobiles, have Facebook, Twitter, and Google + at the ready. They quickly learn that Wikipedia is social too. We listened to an interview of Sue G., that Sue had pasted the link in this forum a few weeks back. I sought feedback, especially from females. Only a few students commented, but generally I sensed a generation gap about the significance of low female participation in Wikipedia. The most important message I received from female students is this: Their parents have warned them that the potential for danger lurks on the internet, and that open disclosure of information on their identities, or even becoming a viewable entity, such as a user, could put them at risk. I cannot emphasize enough, how my students heed the cautionary advice of their elders. Students mention concern that their true identities could become known, they express anxiety about the potential for becoming targets of any kind of ire, including slights that more mature adults have long since learned to live with. Cyber-predation and identity theft come to mind. This gender forum too, is published to the internet and names names... moreover, ones ideas here may be batched with topics that one is disinclined to comment on in public fora. My students hesitate to voice their views in this forum; though I had wished they would share them, I cannot ask students to do something they worry is not in their best and safest interests. Some students complain that 'gendergap' contains non-pertinent sends, some females agree a female-only forum would feel safer; females are divided on this latter. One Latino male said he quickly got bored with this forum, that people don't realize the world of single mothers is devastated by exigencies far removed from Wikipedia, especially for females of color. Males (Caucasian) in this class are more likely to make early contributions- then get them dinged or deleted. This seems to be based on preliminary self-confident behavior, but once chastised by Wikipedians for low competence, they quickly become more hesitant to contribute. In contributions by females, grammarian females show high confidence and competence for ongoing contributions. Some females demonstrate surprisingly high levels of self-uncertainty. For some, self-perceived as not certain, passion for topic and zest for engagement may slightly mitigate low contribution probabilities. To generalize for the purposes of this forum, ethnically African American, Latino, and African males "behave" more like females in terms of uncertainty and contribution engagement. Low social credibility, an outcome produced by new engagers' problematic contributions, seems to be a cocktail of: contributor culture of origin, natural inclination (for scholarly pursuits), social self-measure- predicaments and constraints, gender-based sensitivity, and ability to roll with the punches as a newcomer to knowledge-driven social fora. It should not be surprising that many newcomers to Wikipedia, already in a sea of social med
[Gendergap] Females and underrepresented students coming onboard
Dear Colleagues, I am too busy right now to weigh in on everything I'd like to; I have expertise on gender and diversity, which is why I'm here. I am offering the gendergap list to my Wikipedia class (university) students effective next week, so please anticipate new "faces." The greatest concentration will be female, but I am pleased we have a diverse group, ethnically, linguistically, and culturally. Please be kind to our newcomers; we may all make some mistakes while coming to understand Wikipedia's liberties and constraints. I will not assign the list in terms of coursework, but I want (especially female) students to know this forum exists. Some students will have staying power; I see it as a shared privilege to encourage all students demonstrating an inclination to get involved with Wikipedia contributing. Thank you in advance for supporting new subscribers to this list, and the goal of greater gender and diversity equity in Wikipedia. KSRolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] ATTENTION MODERATOR- last email
Would you please remove all other appended content that I did not delete from my email 3 minutes ago? There is a long string of conversation that is unnecessarily included. ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Gendergap Digest, Vol 7, Issue 8
Dear Colleagues, I'll begin teaching: Anthropology, Wikipedia, and Media at a college beginning soon. The textbook is "Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia." I chose it because it covers the Wikipedia world in useful ways, was positively reviewed by Mssr. Wales and Ms. Gardner, and it refers back to classical works and ideas, that are useful for gaining a more integrated understanding of how things have come to be. H.G. Wells comes to mind, as do essays mentioned in the text about problems of structurelessness, altruism, and open source, generally. Because we are taking an anthropological approach, we'll be aware of gender and diversity issues raised by demographic and other social phenomena, and we'll seek topics, not because they fill a gap, but because students can learn to contribute and feel confident to move forward on their own eventually. I want to know about IRC also. What became of WikiChix? I see they met and had lunch this year... I'm interested in corresponding with any other scholars who are teaching Wikipedia to teens and adults. I am in touch with local Ambassadors. KS___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] More on fem-edits
Dear Colleagues, Thank you kindly for taking enough of an interest in this topic to respond; it is enlightening. My intention is affable, so please keep that in mind. I understand that many persons will choose to never parent, that some parent for the wrong reasons, and that there are any number of perspectives, and no shortage of opinion and ways to problematize the motherhood issue. It may bore some; it's a passion for others, such as those of us who experience the direct consequences of parenting. We are, for better or worse, generating the next population, its biology, genetics, social, political, and cultural values, and productive composition. I liked the Nielsen link, but I think dads around the world are stressed too, though maybe in different ways. In terms of U.S. society, for doubters on what is involved, you might consider reading "The Motherhood Penalty," an academic essay, it is science rather than anecdote. Mothers are perceived as complainers, as less productive than non-parent females, and non-moms earn far more than mothers. Non-mothers get their pay disparity comeuppance however, when dads come along, and enjoy "the fatherhood bonus." Dads are perceived as devoted, and highly productive providers. Mothers are irresponsible coworkers for needing to tend children, but fathers are virtuous for tending children. In terms of gender disparity and Wikipedia, I mean to empirically focus on 'productivity.' By this, I mean getting at those meaningful slices of daily, weekly, and lifestyle experience. As a research methodologist, Question One on a survey instrument might be: "Are you a parent, have you given birth to any children?" From there, an instrument would take two differing directions. Non-parents would be sorted and queried for demographic information, and eventually getting to education level and Wikipedia. Education or literacy is no small component, surely, because the learning curve, and important focus and interest mentioned by list members, will guide, if not determine, a woman's ability to contribute to Wikipedia. As for blogging, education is not a prerequisite, though some measure of literacy is, and is representative of the many ways that women communicate values. Gossip is largely a woman's privilege, and it is often, but not always, based on moral and cultural morays. It's extremely useful, but not in resolving the Wikipedia gender problem. Creating a well-worded posting for Wikipedia is time consuming, and as one colleague mentioned, kind of geeky. I'm talking about the productivity that gets measured by economics. Getting back to the mother-directed survey instrument, one of several age groups would be women of child bearing age, with a possible mean of close to 28 years, and questions would follow that look like: "How old is your infant?" - "Are you nursing?" - "How many minutes does it take to nurse?" - "How often do you nurse?" - along with prep time, clean up time, bottle chill time, and so on. A table would indicate that each nursing takes 10-15' on each side, roughly 25 minutes, and if newborn, x8 feedings per day plus management- another 10" per feeding, we are now into about 4 hours per day, and we haven't looked at mothers who must express milk for later use, diaper changes, meals, or playtime yet. These data at-a-glance may seem (ho-hum and) well beyond the scope of Wikipedia editing and gender biases, but I would argue these data have a role. To put this another way, non-mothers and non-fathers, might not be the units of focus here (though important in other ways); the parent dimension is likely to be shallow for non-parents (unless taking care of elders, another story for now). I understand we all function in certain non-gendered emphases, but someone needs to dig in and work at this, because policy is overlooking a number of disturbingly obvious issues. My view is that Sue G. has a wildly unique, outlying opportunity to shed light, and bring attention to modern (and ancient) underlying issues, largely because of the social potency of Wikipedia in the literate world; Sue's gendered leadership is as significant as any I can think of. Again, core social science research is in order; this includes a broad, human subjects based investigation with clear hypotheses, and capable minds of all sorts contributing. Thanks again for taking the trouble to discuss weaknesses in the arguments, and pointing out subjectivity. These help provide tools for defining the problem(s). KS Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
[Gendergap] Mostly about fem-edits dilemma
Dear Colleagues, About reduced figures on female contributors: I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: females are busy being mothers and caregivers. Demographic factors may vary, but in-the-trenches scholarly research needs to be undertaken if an explanation to low contribution figures is seriously sought. Women (and people of color) are likely to have fewer financial resources than men (i.e. innovative time on their hands at the keyboard). For single parents, it is worse yet (females who do not have a partner provisioning them); they just don’t have the time. Moreover, who wants to fight online intellectual/deletion battles and noob learning curves when there is: laundry to do, cooking and dishes, kids to take somewhere, diapers, homework, animals, gardens, transportation, and paying basic bills? Daycare support in the U.S. has evaporated and single-parent households have increased. How many hours in her productive lifetime does a female spend changing diapers? Nursing (Some mothers do this for years)? Preparing food? Cleaning up after children- and without domestic help? Overseeing homework? Then, there’s more than one child, then 2, then maybe more, maybe many more. In some nations, women go directly from mothering to grandmothering. Modern teens don’t leave home; they cannot find jobs, so raising children, and the distractions that come with it, have extended out a few more years. About Sue Gardener and challenges to increase female participation: Sue has earnestly identified a problem, and is taking pot-shots for being the proverbial messenger. On gender balance, she is facing a task riddled with problems of a global scope. Organizational issues at Wikimedia, it is said, inhibit more meaningful change. It may be a bigger problem than Sue can take on, especially if she’s encouraged to accomplish increased gender balance, but is not given broad authority to do it. If this is relatively accurate, Sue’s mandate is only partial and superstructural “culture” change is unlikely. Human Resources (HR) at Wikimedia, are a puzzling lot. The weirdest phone interview I’ve had, occurred with one of Wikimedia’s HR people. The person proceeded to tell me about what “rock stars” other job candidates were, and what exotic lands they hail from. As a social scientist, one senses a poorly developed ego, plus narcissistic impulses, which of course, cannot be satisfied. Serious scholarship skills, such as those (less faraway-eyed) who would dig in and get to the bottom of the gender question, get dimensionless play by youthful (?) Wikimedia-identified employees. If investigative scholarship has little dimension for HR staff, and foci are “cultural fit” and being a “rock star”, not to mention volunteership (volunteers-hip), something is lost in the group’s mission. Demi-monde-ism from the core, and its adherence, is worrisome. Even job descriptions at Wikimedia have not historically targeted the obvious need for academic research scholarship, outreach, and sufficient demographic research to get at this gendered tip-of-the-iceberg, larger question; and it’s significance is not just for the U.S., not just for societies, but for humanity. Look, Wikimedia is not alone in this debacle. The medical establishment is trying to figure out why females of ethnic groups make the (non-medical) decisions they do. I also find, given that I am a registered reviewer of federal grants, that California is not in the vanguard of dedicated social understanding on anthropological phenomena, though it would seem like a likely place for awareness to be cultivated. Sue is at risk for being out of touch, as a non-parent, and possibly alienated with the stressful social discourse she finds herself in. But, Sue can see to it that scholars, who fight the good fight, and have the desire, and ability (as gender specialists, who’ve earned social science research cred) to help her struggle for infrastructural change, are invited, engaged, and paid to do so. Sue may have opened Pandora’s Box, but so far, she has faced this dilemma with courage and transparency. This is not dysfunctional; it is social frontier. About use of terms to describe southerly nations: One term used among analysts is: “emerging economies.” This tends to enjoy more use today than the term it replaced- now fallen from vogue- “third world countries.” Because of global impoverishment (by this term, I mean natural resource exhaustion), we are not referring solely to the tropics these days, and while the U.S. and other nations once thought of themselves as the “first world” vanguard, it seems obvious that the “second world” tier is repopulating, and open for reinterpretation, as well. The term “global south,” while geographically comprehensible, has geo-political problems, but it may depend on the argument or perspective you want to present. About falling literacy among youth:
[Gendergap] Dominique_Strauss-Kahn_sexual_assault_case
Dear Colleagues, RE: Dominique_Strauss-Kahn_sexual_assault_case The title of this page needs neutrality; for example, it could read: Dominique Strauss-Kahn: Resigns IMF Leadership Amid Sexual Assault Charges I agree there must be presumed innocence written into the semantics, but would not want to see the victim-apparent's charges of guilt minimized either. I will not post this, but invite feedback. The alleged victim, said to be 32 years old and widowed, was reported by National Public Radio and ABC World News, to be a Muslim who came to the U.S. on an asylum visa. The same news agencies, who interviewed neighbors of the alleged victim, reported she wears a head scarf. If these reports are accurate, this may complicate reporting abroad, given the fact that under President Nicolas Sarkozy, France banned appearing publicly in the niqab and burka, full-face veiling and garments worn by some traditional Muslim women. In the Arab world, ightisab, or rape, is an abomination to be reported, and if there is sufficient evidence against a perpetrator, hadd may be the punishment. Muslim rape victims regain purity by ritual, are able to come forward, be seen, heard, and treated kindly (and without deprecation) when they've voiced rape charges. Some Quranic scholars interpret rape as a crime more serious than murder. Using Reuters photos, l'affaire DSK broadened and spread into international publications including reports that Mssr. Strauss-Kahn had troubled relations with "des call-girls" in Manhattan. Other charges appeared; a maid in Mexico was said to have had a similar encounter with DSK but never reported it for fear of public disgrace. From France, the daughter of a Strauss-Kahn personal and professional associate also described inappropriate advances some years ago. Mssr. Strauss-Kahn was seen as so powerful that charges against him would ultimately be fruitless. His alleged victim in Manhattan is said to have faith that a U.S. trial will justly prove his guilt in spite of Mssr. Strauss-Kahn's worldly influence. http://www.npr.org/2011/05/18/136412953/after-complaint-imf-chief-s-arrest-was-swift http://abcnews.go.com/US/dominique-strauss-kahn-sex-case-alleged-victims-lawyer/story?id=13627104 For a lesson (scroll down) on the several kinds of head-coverings considered appropriate by (some) Muslim women, please visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10611398 ksrolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
Re: [Gendergap] Gendergap Digest, Vol 4, Issue 17
Dear Colleagues, 1) Clarification: I am teaching students how to edit and author in Wikipedia. Topical suggestions for a methodology are welcome. 2) On motherhood: it depends on whether referring to the global situation, or U.S. This argument is extensive, and in most responses, symptomatic of the problem. Mothers, especially single mothers and children, are vulnerable populations under numerous social criteria. Mothers who don't hold a job and have nannies are relatively few; they may still suffer from lack of 'voice'. Again, concrete data are the most useful for understanding gaps and constraints mothers face. ksrolph > From: gendergap-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > Subject: Gendergap Digest, Vol 4, Issue 17 > To: gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 05:40:25 + > > Send Gendergap mailing list submissions to > gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > gendergap-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > gendergap-ow...@lists.wikimedia.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Gendergap digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > >1. Re: [Commons-l] Fwd: Photo of the Day on, Wikimedia Commons > (The Richardsons) >2. Fwd: Photo of the Day on Wikimedia Commons (Bob Sponge) >3. Women's College Video Project on Commons Media of the Day (Pharos) >4. Re: Fwd: Photo of the Day on Wikimedia Commons (Sarah) >5. Re: Gendergap Digest, Vol 4, Issue 16 (Karen Sue Rolph) > > > -- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 21:26:53 -0400 > From: The Richardsons > Subject: Re: [Gendergap] [Commons-l] Fwd: Photo of the Day on, > Wikimedia Commons > To: gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org > Message-ID: <4dd714dd.2000...@optonline.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Message: 7 > Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 10:37:41 -0600 (MDT) > From: "Fred Bauder" > Subject: Re: [Gendergap] [Commons-l] Fwd: Photo of the Day on > Wikimedia Commons > To: "Increasing female participation in Wikimedia projects" > > Message-ID: > <44058.66.243.192.69.1305736661.squir...@webmail.fairpoint.net> > Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1 > > > > > On Wed, May 18, 2011 at 10:16, Fred Bauder > > > wrote: > > > > >> >> > >>> >> > My point is this: a significant number of women (current and > >> >> potential > >>> >> > editors) don't want to work in a "I like the big tits" atmosphere, > >>> >> > whatever > >>> >> > was meant by it. Others don't mind. Point is that some*do* mind. > >> >> > > > > > > > >> >> So, was it an inane remark or a symptom of an atmosphere? I'm pretty > >> >> sure > >> >> you don't want to see an authoritarian crackdown either. We come down > >> >> heavy on Wikipedia sometimes, but for much more egregious behavior. > >> >> > >> >> The problem is that such moves don't change culture, in fact, may > >> >> sometimes facilitate it, if traction can be gained by aggrieved users > >> >> who > >> >> feel they are being treated unfairly. > > > > > > > > > I see it as an inane remark that's symptomatic of the culture, in the > > > sense > > > that the poster thought it appropriate to post it. > > > > > > Moving away from discussing this image now, to the broader issue, we do > > > see > > > a fair number of comments like that on Wikipedia, and letting them pass > > > without comment simply means they'll never stop. > > > > > > We had a situation recently where we were discussing a BLP, and part of > > > the > > > content was that the woman had experienced a serious sexual assault. In > > > the > > > course of discussing how to approach it, a couple of remarks were made > > > that > > > tended to downplay what had happened to her, and one person -- in a > > > different section on the talk page -- commented on how attractive she > > > was, > > > and how he wanted to h
Re: [Gendergap] Gendergap Digest, Vol 4, Issue 16
Dear Colleagues, I'd like to introduce myself as new to editing and writing in Wikipedia. I especially took note of a recent New York Times piece on the low percentage of female contributors to Wikipedia; I felt it personally as an Op-Ed Project alumna. I'm a scholar, and gender is one of my specializations as an anthropologist. I've studied gender in Japan, Europe, and Latin America, as well as North America. I am committed to social justice and improved human rights (and U.N. Articles) conditions for all, but especially women, mothers, and children. I can see from viewing Gendergap, and other communiques within the Wikipedia nexus, that sometimes humor is difficult to account for. Humor seems so important, but seems to offend someone somewhere. It seems we all share the problem of wanting to communicate, but without a sure way to measure the consequences of what is said. I will be classed as an 'old' female, but given my Native American heritage, I want to remind friends that many cultures think of us as elders. Gentlemen should too. My scholarship is far ranging, I am a product of U.C. Berkeley and Stanford U., I want to be supportive of all I can in terms of gender balance. For this reason, beginning in the fall, I will be teaching classes at nearby institutions, with an emphasis on female contributions. My work has already begun, organizing a curriculum. I will be watchful that young women survive and thrive in the environment. Let us see how it goes. I would like to weigh in on the ways to treat females project- that circulated a couple or few weeks back- if others will permit me. There's an obvious reason women contribute less; we are busy with our babies and children. I am working on getting 'duration-spent' numbers in on that, so we can go to a concrete understanding of the time dedicated to raising young souls. (Not meant as a joke). Meanwhile, my warm greetings to all on this list, regardless of gender. Karen Sue Rolph ___ Gendergap mailing list Gendergap@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/gendergap
