Quantifying gender disparities and bias online: editors’ introduction to “Gender Gaps in Digital Spaces” special issue

Abstract

This special issue collects studies about how gender divides manifest in digital environments, spanning online repositories, social media, and AI-powered technologies. Computational research helps in assessing the nature and prevalence of gender divides: Identifying differences and bias requires defining benchmarks, systematic departures, and overall incidence. This collection showcases evidence uncovered quantitatively and illustrates how such evidence can advance theoretical understanding of gender dynamics as socially constructed phenomena. Social interactions and discursive practices are shaped by the technologies we use to communicate, work, and organize. These technologies shape, in turn, how we perceive and reinforce gender stereotypes. In this editors‘ note, we discuss how the seven articles included in the special issue unpack communicative processes in the context of various online environments, disentangling gendered dynamics from the use of digital technologies. Ultimately, our goal is to energize a research agenda that requires continued work as technologies morph and evolve in unprecedented directions.