Bridging the Wikipedia gender gap in India

Tina-Yi (Elisa) Chang (third from left) with group of participants from an edit-a-thon in Bangalore, India.
Tina-Yi (Elisa) Chang (third from left), fifth-year student in the Specialist (Co-op) Program in International Developement Studies, completed her Co-op placement at the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) in Bangalore, India. (Photo courtesy of Tina-

Megan Easton

Ting-Yi (Elisa) Chang has experienced language barriers, culture shock and homesickness as an international student, but she says these struggles prepared her well for a co-op placement in India.

“I was able to live independently, accept different cultures with an open mind and adapt to new environments more swiftly,” says Chang, a fifth-year student from Taiwan in the Specialist (Co-op) Program in International Development Studies. “But I think the most valuable quality I gained from being an international student in Canada was learning not to see my difference as a deficit, but as strength.”

Her co-op placement was at the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) in Bangalore, India, where she focused on the low levels of female participation in online open knowledge platforms such as Wikipedia. “Bangalore is considered the Silicon Valley of India, and CIS is an organization that examines social issues rising alongside the waves of digitization.”

“Bangalore is considered the Silicon Valley of India, and CIS is an organization that examines social issues rising alongside the waves of digitization," says Chang.

Chang conducted workshops to raise awareness of the gender gap and encourage women’s participation in Wikipedia editing, efforts that were warmly welcomed in the local community. “The greatest reward of the placement was definitely the trust and friendship I gained,” she says. “It filled my heart with joy and warmth when the local Wikipedians knew me by my name and told me their stories.”

Just two months into her placement, Chang participated in the WikiConference India, where she met people in the digital community from all over South Asia who shared her goal of gender inclusivity. “Many of the conference attendees later became the greatest supporters and resource persons for my research. It was very encouraging to know that I was not alone in the movement, and that someone appreciated and embraced me even when I was an outsider.”

The greatest reward of the placement was definitely the trust and friendship I gained,” she says. “It filled my heart with joy and warmth when the local Wikipedians knew me by my name and told me their stories.

While she had a longstanding interest in media and development, Chang says the placement helped clarify her next steps – a graduate degree in information studies where she can explore the sociology and political economy behind information and communication technologies. “It narrowed down my focus, while at the same time broadened my network and knowledge on the subject. This is a path that I wouldn’t have anticipated four years ago when joining the IDS program, but it also shows how the program and placement can lead us to unexpected places.”

 

The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships (QES) is managed through a unique partnership of Universities Canada, the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and Canadian universities. This program is made possible with financial support from the Government of Canada, provincial governments and the private sector.