Earned media campaign addressing gender bias in STEMM
/Overview
Women make up just 27% of Australia’s STEMM workforce and earn 23.5% less than their male counterparts. To address this gender disparity, particularly on platforms like Wikipedia, Cube launched a dynamic media campaign in collaboration with Franklin Women’s Wikipedia ‘Edit-a-thon’ events held in Sydney and Canberra. The initiative aimed to celebrate and elevate the visibility of women in STEMM fields.
/Challenge
Systemic gender bias in STEMM means that many women in these fields remain underrecognised, skewing public perception of their contributions to science and society. This underrepresentation on platforms like Wikipedia perpetuates the gap in visibility and acknowledgment of female scientists.
/Solution
Cube’s campaign focused on two impactful Edit-a-thon events, attended by over 100 women in STEMM, including both established leaders and newcomers to the field. Key strategies included:
- Empowering women: Provided training to participants on how to create Wikipedia profiles, enabling them to share biographies of influential women in STEMM and nominate colleagues for inclusion.
- Elevating recognition: The campaign helped elevate the visibility of women’s contributions, ensuring they received the recognition they deserve in a high-traffic platform like Wikipedia.
Impact
The campaign achieved impressive results, generating both media attention and direct action:
National media coverage
Featured in a national SBS segment, profiling two scientists and the Edit-a-thon events.
Strong engagement
Resulted in 557 edits across both events, increasing the representation of women in STEMM.
Wide-reaching press
Secured 32 news articles highlighting women in STEM, amplifying their impact.
Impressive digital engagement
Generated 6,440 views on Wikipedia articles created or edited during the events.
Extensive coverage reach
Reached over 600,000 viewers through SBS and ABC TV/radio coverage.
Targeted audience engagement
Featured in Women’s Agenda and on an ABC podcast , with 20,000 listeners tuning in.
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