Spanish scientists have never obtained all the recognition in the labor and social fields that they deserve . Nor in the media or encyclopedias, where priority has always been given, as far as this profession is concerned, to the male gender.
Despite this scenario, the percentage of female researchers, which represents 38.5% of the total, has increased faster than that of male researchers in the last decade and remains above the European average , especially in the industrial sector. In addition, doctoral theses are highly valued beyond our borders.
In order for the researchers to gain greater visibility at the national and international level, a group of volunteers will edit and update content on Wikipedia . More than 30 women from the world of science will occupy a place starting this Friday in this free and collaborative encyclopedia. It is also intended to expand the information of another 30 biographies.
The initiative, organized by the aesthetic brand L’Oréal under the name ‘I Edition for the visibility of women scientists on Wikipedia’, has had the active participation of the president of the Association of Women Researchers and Technologists (AMIT), Capitolina Diaz; those belonging to the CSIC Flora de Pablo and Pilar López Sancho; and Margarita Salas, the only Spanish laureate ‘L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science’, among other scientists from various disciplines .
The Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, Carmen Vela, has warned that ” only 6.7% of all articles on the scientific community in Spanish are about women .” The answer to these depressing data is found by comparing the number of edits made by men with those made by women.
” More than 90% of the contents on Wikipedia are edited by men , which means that – far from being a justification – they tend to write information related to masculine aspects and approaches”, highlighted a member of Wikimedia.
“Women scientists exist. We have to make an effort so that they also appear in the writings, since in today’s world, apparently, what is not seen is that it does not exist ”, Vela has sentenced.
