Where are you?
Halley wonders why maybe 3 of the top 100 bloggers are women:
It’s clear that the top male bloggers are not denying women their blogroll inks, for the most part. It’s clear that the top male bloggers take every chance to list women bloggers and engage the topics that they raise. These men are too smart not to take us seriously. We are their colleagues, friends, girlfriends, sisters, bosses, moms, daughters. They want the best for us. Guys, feel free to blogroll us anytime.
Still we are almost invisible and I want to know why. What are we doing wrong?
I doubt the women are doing anything wrong. But something is not right. I’m aware of the usual things that lead to gender inequality, but I honestly don’t know why it’s showing up so strongly in the Top 100 (aka the “A-List”). Is it a function of the broadcast model since, as Halley points out, “56% of hosted blogs” are created by women.” Or is it the fact that even the best-intentioned men can’t full exorcise their inner pig? Or both? And more? I don’t know.
Categories: Uncategorized dw
That’s right, the women are smarter
David Weinberger echoes Halley Suitt in asking why there are only three women among the top 100 blogs listed at Blogstreet: Halley wonders why maybe 3 of the top 100 bloggers are women: It’s clear that the top male bloggers are not denying women their …
FYI, Halley is joining us in a new (launched today) weblog on women and technology, at http://www.misbehaving.net/
Other authors on the site include Meg Hourihan, Jill Walker, danah boyd, Caterina Fake, Dorothea Salo, and Gina Trapani.
Might it be (indirectly) related to the issue that blogging is an “early adopter” medium, and that many of the more established bloggers are to some degree or other, information technology -oriented journalists, writers, analysts, observers.
Oh, I know blogs spring from, and address, many topics other than information technology, but isn’t blogging’s DNA more-or-less informed by an interest in, and early adoption of emerging technology coupled with a desire and drive to listen, learn and speak about the effects of information technology on our lives and work?
I believe that there is not the same proportion of women involved in information technology as, say, law, medicine, and general business. This might be an important aspect of the observation Halley is making.
Let’s see… long-time blogger, check. Journalist, check. Writer, check. Observer, check. Emerging tech, check.
A-list? Not by a long shot. Hell, I wasn’t even asked to join Misbehaving…
Halley is missing several women, maybe because they don’t always use their names, or are part of group blogs:
5: boingBoing includes Xeni
7: DailyKos includes Melanie
10: TalkLeft is Jeralyn Merrit
17: Asymmetrical Information is Megan McArdle (posts as Jane Galt)
19: Samizdata include Adriana Cronin, Natalie Solent, Alice Bachini & Natalija Radic
28: Volokh conspiracy includes Michelle Boardman, but she doesn’t post much
34: Natalie Solent
35: On the Third Hand is Kathy Kinsley
36: Slashdot includes Pudge, but is mostly blokes.
43: Eve Tushnet
46: Tapped is another group blog with men and women
49: Cut on the bias is susanna
50: Winds of Change is another group log with some women
(I’m stopping halfway as it is late and 50 blogs is enough for now)
Also, Virgina Postrel IS there at no. 61
I think the moral is that group blogs win out in their metric; maybe also that political blogs link more than personal ones.
Um top bloggers. I wonder what that means.
Maybe women have more important things to do with their time.