September 3, 2024 – Aguascalientes, Mexico. Within the framework of the XXV International Meeting on Gender Statistics (EIEG), the The First Editathon “Gender and Work”an innovative initiative that was launched in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (UAA), the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), Wikimedia Mexico, the National Institute for Women of Mexico (Inmujeres), ECLAC and UN Women. This event, which was developed by young people from the UAA, marked a milestone in the way of making gender statistics visible, by integrating this type of data, with the support of a national statistics office, into one of the most consulted platforms globally: Wikipedia.
The Editathon’s main objective was to improve and create Wikipedia entries related to crucial topics for gender equality, such as unpaid work, the wage gap, gender violence and women’s participation in the labor market. This initiative seeks to ensure that millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and around the world, can access accurate information, based on updated and statistically sound data. According to recent studies, Wikipedia receives more than 1.5 billion monthly visits worldwide, with Latin America being one of the regions with the highest traffic. This makes statistics and knowledge about gender on this platform particularly relevant.
Ana Güezmes, director of ECLAC’s Gender Affairs Division, highlighted the importance of this effort: “Statistics and data are essential to understanding gender inequalities and promoting fairer and more inclusive public policies. The integration of this content in Wikipedia not only makes women visible, but also highlights the need to integrate women and gender issues into information platforms. This initiative is in line with ECLAC’s commitment to the democratization of knowledge and the use of quality data to promote gender equality in the region.”
Inter-institutional collaboration for transformative impact
The Editathon was made possible by close collaboration between various institutions. INEGI, one of the main producers of statistical information in the region, provided key data from operations such as the National Survey on Time Use, the National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relations (ENDIREH), and the Satellite Account of Unpaid Household Work. These sources of information were essential to develop and update more than 30 Wikipedia entries, all of them focused on the situation of women and gender inequalities.
Nadine Gasman, president of Inmujeres Mexico, praised this initiative as a necessary step to ensure that gender policies have empirical support, which is key to achieving true structural change. In the same vein, the president of INEGI, Graciela Márquez, highlighted in her welcome speech the importance of promoting a statistical culture that allows the use of data to promote equality.
For their part, Wikimedia Mexico and the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (UAA), as the main allies in the organization of the event, contributed their technical expertise in the editing of collaborative content. Carmen Alcázar Castillo, executive director of Wikimedia Mexico, emphasized the importance of more women getting involved in the creation of online content, pointing out that only 1 in 10 content creators is a woman and only 22% of biographies in Spanish are about women. This effort seeks to close that gap, generating content that not only reflects the reality of women, but also has the academic rigor necessary to sustain informed debates.
Moni Pizani, Representative of UN Women in Mexico, highlighted the importance of reproducing and distributing appropriate knowledge effectively, which is why UN Women celebrates initiatives such as this Editathon. “Making women visible in open knowledge spaces acts as a catalyst for change by highlighting the achievements and perspectives of women in various fields, breaking down pre-existing barriers and inspiring future generations and fostering a more inclusive environment,” said the Representative.
To ensure the success of this initiative, ECLAC shared with the University students the contents of the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (OIG), a key tool developed by ECLAC’s Gender Affairs Division, a digital space that contains data on women’s autonomy, including topics such as time use, women’s participation in the labor market, and gender violence, among others. These data, which are already publicly available, will serve to feed future editions and updates of the contents on Wikipedia. The Observatory will continue to be a valuable resource, not only for future collaborative editing activities, but also to ensure that the data reflected in these platforms continue to be updated and are a reliable reference in the digital field.
This first Editathon represents an opportunity to strengthen women’s participation in the digital environment, reducing gender gaps in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. ECLAC, committed to gender equality, will continue to support initiatives that use information technologies to democratize access to data and promote a care society that recognizes unpaid work and the equitable distribution of domestic responsibilities.
This event also highlighted the need to increase women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers, areas where there is still considerable gender disparity. Ana Güezmes called for “guaranteeing effective connectivity for women, increasing their participation in STEM careers and eradicating gender-based cyber violence.” Technology, she said, must be at the service of gender equality, and events such as the Editathon are an example of how to move towards a more inclusive digital world.
Collaboration between institutions, the use of reliable data and the creation of accessible content are essential to building a more equal future. The First Editathon is part of a series of efforts that will continue to make gender statistics visible in the digital environment, ensuring that millions of people have access to information with a gender perspective, where no one is left behind.
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