Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Forbes Magazine Picks 100 Best Web Sites for Women

Forbes has published its fourth annual list of the best web sites for and about women, winnowed from more than 2,000 reader nominations.  Lots of variety in the list, with Forbes saying this time it's excluding health content sites, leaving that subject area to the discretion of readers. A third of the 100 sites haven't been included in previous Forbes lists, and they are marked as new.  Its a robust list, though like all lists, it won't please everybody.  Comments piling up on the Forbes page suggest other sites readers would have liked to see included and displeasure with some of the choices that, to at least several readers, seemed patronizing to women.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Consider the Source: Wikipedia Still Unable to Attract Female Contributors

Writing on a Wall Street Journal blog, Riva Gold outlines the persistent problem Wikipedia has in balancing the gender of its contributors.  Fully 87% of its contributors are male, Gold reports.  Further, it has acquired the reputation of being "deletionist" in its treatment of entries about women (as well as segregating entries about distinguished women in gender-based categories, i.e., "American Women Writers" instead of "American Writers").  Gold describes a sexist environment at Wikipedia HQ where women are very much in the minority and don't have long tenures at the organization.  She also notes that Wikipedia, aware of the gender imbalance among contributors, has made efforts to recruit women as contributors.  Given Wikipedia's popularity as an information source, this is a serious situation that doesn't look as if it will improve anytime soon.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Women Journalists in the Windy City: Still Working the Issues

Up today:  A report in the Chicago Reader marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Chicago chapter of the Association of Women Journalists, reflecting on the reasons for its founding (sexual harassment by sources and colleagues, unreasonable pressures on moms, gender influences on assignments) and assessing if/how things are better today.  A mixed bag, says the article.  Very mixed.  It's a good read about women in journalism and where they are today in a city long-known for bold newsgathering and scrappy reporting.