Editing for Equity: Georgetown University’s Second Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Aims to Increase Representation and Close the Gender Gap Online

Written by Sara Bach, MDI Communications Assistant

On March 21st, 2025, the Massive Data Institute, Georgetown University Women’s Center, and Georgetown University Library co-hosted the second annual Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, supported by 20 other partner groups across the University. This event was part of Georgetown’s Tech & Society Week, a weeklong event series exploring the impact of technology on our world.

This university-wide initiative focused on bridging the gender gap on Wikipedia by increasing the representation of women in content and contributors across various topics, ranging from women in politics, STEM, and the arts.

Hosted in the Office of Student Equity and Inclusion, the event brought together more than 50 members of the Georgetown community and the public for an afternoon of collaboration, learning, and collective action aimed at closing gender gaps in online knowledge and representation.

Speakers included Soyica Diggs Colbert, Ph.D., Interim Provost at Georgetown University; Rebecca MacKinnon, the Vice President of Global Advocacy at the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit that supports and operates Wikipedia and other free knowledge projects to ensure access to reliable information worldwide; and Roopika Risam, Ph.D., Chair, Film and Media Studies, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies and of Comparative Literature, and Digital Humanities and Social Engagement Cluster at Dartmouth College.

This event was inspired to address the lack of women represented in Wikipedia, both in terms of content and contributors. Despite being one of the most-used educational resources in the world, containing over 64 million articles in 300 languages and with over 15 billion views per month, Wikipedia continues to reflect deep gender disparities. Only 15% of Wikipedia contributors are women, and just over 20% of all images of human beings on Wikimedia Commons feature women. In fact, as of February of this year, only 20% of biographies are about women. 

This disparity is notable due to the immense influence Wikipedia has as one of the largest educational resources for individuals and public sources of training data for large language models like ChatGPT.

“If quality, well-sourced information about somebody or something appears on Wikipedia, it’s going to circulate the internet and across our society—it is going to become part of what people know and understand,” said MacKinnon. “Information is power today more than ever. We can not build more just communities, a more just world if facts about large swaths of peoples’ histories and identities are not even known.”

Therefore, it is important that these pages reflect the perspectives and contributions of a larger, more representative portion of society.

“Wikipedia needs more women,” said Mackinnon. “It needs more people from all different groups across global society.” 

These gender gaps not only influence how history is recorded and remembered but also reveal the importance of creating more inclusive representation in digital knowledge spaces.

Given the emphasis on gender representation, the Georgetown University Women’s Center proudly co-hosted the event for the second year in a row, underscoring its continued commitment to closing gender gaps online and increasing the representation of women on platforms like Wikipedia.

“Women are often excluded from history, and women’s roles are minimized,” said Annie Selak, Ph.D., the Director of the Women’s Center. “This event is a collaborative effort to center the voices and stories of women in diverse fields.”

One of the other leading contributors to this event is Georgetown’s Lauinger Library, whose librarians and library specialists play a key role in guiding participants toward finding reliable sources and mastering citation practices.

“The first is helping participants find authoritative, reputable sources including books, articles, and other sources that Wikipedia editors at the event can use in their articles,” said Beth Campolieto Marhanka, the Head of Outreach and Engagement at Lauinger Library. “Library staff also help with proper citation practices, ensuring that Wikipedia editors provide evidence to support claims and that readers can verify the accuracy of statements and trace information back to reputable sources for deeper exploration.”

The success of this year’s Edit-a-thon was present in not only the energy, dedication, and collaboration of the participants, but also through the tangible outcomes of their work. Over the course of the afternoon, participants created 11 new Wikipedia articles and edited 13 others, resulting in 124 edits across the platform. Furthermore, the volunteer editors added more than 1,200 words and 8 new references, drawing over 480 views and counting. (Reference to statistics from the day.)

Compared to the debut Wikipedia Edit-a-thon held last year, volunteers nearly tripled the number of articles created, highlighting the continued impact of this annual event in working towards closing the gender gap and increasing representation on Wikipedia. The significance of this event is present in its impact on historical memory and representation. 

“Edit-a-thons shine a light on the people, events, and issues at risk of being forgotten,” said Marhanka. “What is written down is what will be remembered in the future. If we don’t record the stories of the underrepresented and their impacts on the world, they will fade into the ether.”

The Edit-a-thon also sparked excitement about long-term engagement and a hope of continued contributions beyond the annual event during Women’s History Month. 

“The best thing to come out of these events is when attendees are inspired to contribute to Wikipedia outside of an edit-a-thon,” said Marhanka. “If a handful of attendees at each edit-a-thon join the community of scholars to become regular contributors, we can chip away at the current gender gap in Wikipedia.”

What is written down is what will be remembered in the future. If we don’t record the stories of the underrepresented and their impacts on the world, they will fade into the ether.

Beth Campolieto Marhanka

As an example, Carole Sargent, Director of Georgetown University’s Office of Scholarly Publications, has become a dedicated contributor to the WikiProject Women in Religion after attending a previous Edit-a-thon. Sargent recognizes the importance of events such as the Georgetown University Wikipedia Edit-a-thon in closing the gender gap. 

“85% of Wikipedia biographies are of men, and only 15% of its editors are women, so I consider this work a feminist mission,” said Sargent. “Edit-a-thons amplify the impact and enhance Georgetown’s role as an inclusive university.”

As Wikipedia editors continue to close the gender gap through events such as the Edit-a-thon, it is important to consider the underrepresentation of other groups as well. To make Wikipedia a more diverse space, Sargent currently coaches participants to edit pages for individuals and areas that need more representation.

“Women aren’t the only under-represented group! People of color need more articles, too, yet 89% of Wikipedia editors identify as white,” said Sargent. “The stats are troubling, but there are formal Wikipedia projects like Women in Red that do a brilliant job of turning the ship at sea.”

For those interested to continue editing and learning more, MDI offers resources on its website. The impact of these collective efforts extends beyond Georgetown’s campus, contributing to a global movement to make online knowledge spaces more representative of our diverse world. Stay tuned for information on additional edit-a-thons over the summer and fall.