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Women are consummate content creators online. From technology mavens like Google’s Marissa Mayer to influential mommy bloggers, and even YouTube stars like iJustine, females have played a significant role in shaping web trends.

That’s why we’re slightly surprised by a revealing study conducted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Their research found that only 13% of Wikipedia contributors are women.

According to the The Wall Street Journal, the survey took place in November of last year, with results being presented last week at a conference in Buenos Aires. A total of 53,888 respondents indicated that they were Wikipedia contributors, but only 6,814 of them were women.

The research also showed that women are less likely to read articles as well, with 31% of women and 69% of men reading entries, but not writing or editing them.

Some other interesting findings point to why respondents contribute to Wikipedia, and their educational background:

- 69% of respondents were motivated to contribute to Wikipedia to fix an error

- Nearly 73% contribute because they “like the idea of sharing knowledge”

- 19% of Wikipedia contributors hold Masters degrees

We’re pretty shocked that the equilibrium between male and female contributors to Wikipedia is so off balance, and not exactly sure why it seems to be the case. Share your thoughts on the study in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, spxChrome

Tags: study, wikipedia, women

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STUDY: Women and Wikipedia Don’t Mix