Celebrating five years of WikiGap – come join the work for equality!

For the fifth time, Wikimedia Sverige and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs are coordinating the WikiGap campaign. This is more than just an event: it has grown to be a movement in itself, building on the same values as other gender equality projects in the Wikimedia Movement, such as Women in red. 

We know that, currently, four out of five biographies on Wikipedia portray men. At the same time, women, transgender and non-binary people make up more than half of the population. As a movement, we need to do more to make sure that the gender gap on Wikipedia is closed. More than 60,000 articles have been created or improved over the years, but there’s more work that needs to be done.

WikiGap consists of two parts: local events and an online challenge. You can participate in either or both of them! 

The local events are typically collaborations between a local Swedish embassy, a local Wikimedia affiliate and a third partner that could be an NGO, a university, a library or something else. The embassy is often the venue, providing somewhere to hold the event as well as internet access. The local Wikimedia group (chapter, user group or a bunch of volunteers) provides the support around editing on the platform and introducing the Wikimedia Movement to the participants. The third party offers a network as well as expertise of some kind, for example bringing expertise and source material on specific topics.

WikiGap Challenge is the online competition where volunteers around the world work hard to create, improve and translate biographic articles on women over a period of time. 

Now, we are looking for all of you who would like to participate in arranging WikiGap events in 2022! Most events take place around the date of the International Women’s Day, 8 March, but can of course be arranged throughout the year. 

If you are already planning your event, remember to mention that on the events page. That makes it easier for all of us to share the joy.

Are you interested? Read more on the Meta page or post an email to josefine.hellroth.larsson@wikimedia.se or eric.luth@wikimedia.se. You can also check out the WikiGap Event Manual, our guide to help you before, during and after a WikiGap event.

Hope to see lots of WikiGap events this year, all over the world!