Mapping and bridging the gender gap: an ethnographic study of Indian Wikipedians and their motivations to contribute

In 2017, the first comprehensive gender mapping of Wikipedia was carried out and its results were presented at several Wikimedia conferences. Following the premises of that work, our paper is an outcome of a preliminary ethnographic study on the issue of gender gap in participation in India, featuring narratives of Wikipedians from the across the country. The aim is to trace their motivations for contributing on Wikipedia, what they identify as the barriers to participation, and their suggestions for bridging the gap. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with Wikipedia contributors from India constitute the primary sources used in the study.