4 ms·

I see a lot of comments here saying "editors don't have to declare their names and gender", but in many ways, that's point. Men have the option of declaring th

I see a lot of comments here saying "editors don't have to declare their names and gender", but in many ways, that's point. Men have the option of declaring their gender without fear of any consequence. They don't have to excise any mention on their profile of details that might reveal their sexuality or gender. Some are even able to wear it like a badge. They're able to lay down roots on Wikipedia - create a profile and become a respected editor. Women and LGBT people aren't able to do the same without hiding their gender - and have to go out of their way to hide it for fear of harassment. Saying "they can just use the WYSIWYG editor" misses the point. Other people _can_ be more than an IP address. The point isn't that people are able to hide their gender or sexuality, it's that anyone has to do it in the first place.

Consultant32452 8y ago
Men are more likely to be harassed online than women. Women are far more likely to experience one of the types of harassment: sexual harassment, but when looking at harassment as a whole including threats of violence or being called offensive names, men are more commonly victims. https://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/experiencing-online-harassment/ https://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/experiencing-online-h...
- kristianc 8y ago
  That distinction matters though: online, people are in a position to reach many thousands, or millions of people through their work. If women are driven out of the online space by harassment or otherwise, the vast majority of that influence and opportunity will accrue to men. While threats of violence and being called offensive names are not nice, they don't limit the man's potential in the same way by virtue of being offline. (Neither, I might add, does it seem to be having a large impact on men's advancement in the professional offline space, where the vast majority of senior positions are also held by men).
  - Consultant32452 8y ago
    Women may be more likely to be driven away from online communities. But it is not because they are more likely to be the victims of harassment. Therefore another root cause must be discovered/presented.
  - manfredo 8y ago
    > While threats of violence and being called offensive names are not nice, they don't limit the man's potential in the same way by virtue of being offline. I don't think you're understanding the data. I read the study, too. Men received more harassment overall online. All the harassment in the linked study is online harassment. I'm not sure what you're talking about this harassment being "offline" for men.

Consultant32452 8y ago

Men are more likely to be harassed online than women. Women are far more likely to experience one of the types of harassment: sexual harassment, but when looking at harassment as a whole including threats of violence or being called offensive names, men are more commonly victims. https://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/experiencing-online-harassment/ https://www.pewinternet.org/2017/07/11/experiencing-online-h...

kristianc 8y ago
That distinction matters though: online, people are in a position to reach many thousands, or millions of people through their work. If women are driven out of the online space by harassment or otherwise, the vast majority of that influence and opportunity will accrue to men. While threats of violence and being called offensive names are not nice, they don't limit the man's potential in the same way by virtue of being offline. (Neither, I might add, does it seem to be having a large impact on men's advancement in the professional offline space, where the vast majority of senior positions are also held by men).
- Consultant32452 8y ago
  Women may be more likely to be driven away from online communities. But it is not because they are more likely to be the victims of harassment. Therefore another root cause must be discovered/presented.
- manfredo 8y ago
  > While threats of violence and being called offensive names are not nice, they don't limit the man's potential in the same way by virtue of being offline. I don't think you're understanding the data. I read the study, too. Men received more harassment overall online. All the harassment in the linked study is online harassment. I'm not sure what you're talking about this harassment being "offline" for men.