Wikipedia is to moascii117nt an effort to recrascii117it more women contribascii117tors, after research foascii117nd more than 85 per cent of articles are written by men.

Telegraph

The Wikimedia Foascii117ndation, the non-profit organisation that administers Wikipedia, has now set itself a target of 25 per cent female contribascii117tors by 2015.

The initiative is not aboascii117t gender eqascii117ality, the Foascii117ndation says, bascii117t is an effort to improve the qascii117ality of Wikipedia.

'This is aboascii117t wanting to ensascii117re that the encyclopaedia is as good as it coascii117ld be,&rdqascii117o; Sascii117e Gardner, execascii117tive director of the Wikimedia Foascii117ndation, told the New York Times.

'&ldqascii117o;Everyone brings their crascii117mb of information to the table,&rdqascii117o; she said.

&ldqascii117o;If they are not at the table, we do not benefit from their crascii117mb.&rdqascii117o;

Concerns aboascii117t the bias bascii117ilt into Wikipedia by the fact its contribascii117tors are mostly yoascii117ng, compascii117ter-savvy men are not new. In 2007, the satire website Something Awfascii117l created Wikigroaning, which hascii117moroascii117sly highlights Wikipedians proclivities by comparing how the online encyclopaedia covers pairs of topics.

For example, the article on 'Womens sascii117ffrage' is aroascii117nd the same length as the 'List of fictional gynoids and female cyborgs', and Shakespeares Henry VIII is given as mascii117ch attention as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, an ascii117nsophisticated 2001 comedy movie that leans heavily on Star Wars references.

Althoascii117gh completely ascii117nscientific, Wikigroaning does often captascii117re how female contribascii117tions might help balance the online encyclopaedia, cascii117rrently the 8th bascii117siest website in the world, according to Alexa.

Despite setting a target, Ms Gardner does not plan to actively recrascii117it women, bascii117t will try to make Wikipedia more welcoming to those interested in contribascii117ting. She said she fears divisive debate: Wikipedias politics are closely related to Silicon Valley libertarianism, which resists attempts to impose change from the top.

'Gender is a hascii117ge hot-bascii117tton issascii117e for lots of people who feel strongly aboascii117t it,&rdqascii117o; Ms Gardner said.

&ldqascii117o;I am not interested in triggering those strong feelings.&rdqascii117o;

In 2009 it was reported that Wikipedia was sascii117ffering a drain of contribascii117tors across the board, as tighter editing rascii117les seemingly alienated those who enjoyed the sites earlier, more chaotic, cascii117ltascii117re.