DonesAmbCategoria - Open letter to the Catalan Wikipedian community

--- breaks: false --- ![#DonesAmbCategoria](https://docutopia.tupale.co/uploads/upload_dc541fb388e37aa4fb5c03f2bcbba7df.png) **Follow us**: <a href="https://twitter.com/donesamb"></a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dones-amb-categoria-100127818816949"></a> | <a href="https://pad.programando.li/s/donesambcategoria:mitjans">En els mitjans </a> ## Open letter to the Catalan Wikipedian community :::info | [CA](https://pad.programando.li/s/donesambcategoria) | [ES](https://pad.programando.li/s/donesambcategoria:es) | **EN** | [FR](https://pad.programando.li/s/donesambcategoria:fr) | [IT](https://pad.programando.li/s/donesambcategoria:it) | ::: Every time we visit Catalan Wikipedia, we can realize that women are usually labeled in "masculine plural" categories. The rare entries that include other categories refer to very feminized professions or conditions, such as "midwives" or "concubines." We have been promoting a more and more diverse society, in which women actively participate in all areas. However, the presence of women remains invisible, and we wonder why. If 51 per cent of the human population are women, how can one explain we are somewhat hidden in this society? The issue of "gender categories" has been a recurring discussion on the Catalan Wikipedia. Some Wikipedia use female categories naturally and without further ado (take, for instance, English, German, Spanish, Basque, Asturian, French or Portuguese versions among the most relevant or neighboring the Catalan one). Although it already happens in other languages, the current category policy of the Catalan Wikipedia leads to grotesque situations with categories such as “gimnastes rítmics (rhythmic gymnasts”) “feministes barcelonins” (Barcelonian feminists) and "Barcelona synchronized swimmers," all of them inflected in the masculine gender. These categories only include women under a male generic label. We want to highlight this problem with the **#DonesAmbCategoria** (Women with a Category) campaign. There is no valid justification for not categorizing women by their sex. Accepting that only male categories are adequate means allowing the invisibility of women. In the 21st century, this idea should be unacceptable. To those who state that the Catalan Wikipedia bases its linguistic criteria on the rules of both the Institute for Catalan Studies and the Valencian Academy of Language, which use the generic masculine to describe both men and women, we answer with a question: What have language academies to do with an ontological classification by categories? What they actually mean is that they prefer not to alter a system with which they already feel comfortable. This way, no consensus taken within Wikipedia itself is broken. However, this makes women invisible. Furthermore, many factors have contributed to fostering this imbalance up to date. As readers of the Catalan Wikipedia, we must now say we have had enough. This sort of excuse is no longer valid. The time has come to change this anachronism. We want women categories, just like other Wikipedias have. Aligning the Catalan Wikipedia with the goals aiming at equality is everyone's business. Whoever does not do what is within their hands to achieve it is irresponsible. [UNESCO's 5th Sustainable Development Goal is gender equality](https://www.diba.cat/web/ods/igualtat-de-genere). Let's turn it into a reality. Every year on March 8 the media remind us that women are clearly discriminated against in relation to men. The invisibility of women aggravates, even more, this situation. Moreover, we are aware that up to now it has not been possible to change this policy within Wikipedia itself. That is why we now appeal to [the 5th pillar of Wikipedia](https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquip%C3%A8dia:Ignoreu_les_normes), which states: 'Wikipedia has no fixed rules.' We ask the Catalan Wikipedia community to listen to our claim and make it possible: let's create women's categories. With the hashtag **#DonesAmbCategoria** (Women with Category), you can [follow our Twitter campaign](https://twitter.com/DonesAmb). There you will find samples of this current rule, which we consider contemptuous of women. Is this the role model we want for our girls and boys, for our children and youngsters who visit Wikipedia? The Catalan Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in this language. In our society, women need to be as visible as men: We demand categories for women. Do you want to join us? **Collective Dones amb Categoria** (Women with a Category)[^1] ![#DonesAmbCategoria](https://docutopia.tupale.co/uploads/upload_c07eb3743632117d7e16829a381b51dd.png) [^1]: This group aims to create categories for women on the Catalan Wikipedia ## I want to sign the open letter :::info * [Click here to **sign the open letter** ](https://secure.avaaz.org/community_petitions/es/viquipedistes_catalans_creeu_categories_de_dones_a_la_viquipedia_en_catala/?zSKaYrb) :::