Gender inequality in new media: Evidence from Wikipedia

Marit Hinnosaar

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2019, vol. 163, issue C, 262-276

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.

JEL-codes: H41 J16 L82 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Gender Inequality in New Media: Evidence from Wikipedia (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:163:y:2019:i:c:p:262-276

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2019.04.020

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