The BBC and Wikipedia are working to change online biographies on women.

They have launched a project to encourage more female editors to become active on the online encyclopaedia.

The BBC says just 17 per cent of notable Wikipedia pages are about women, while the site’s volunteer editors are about 85 per cent male.

In response, the companies launched a 12-hour global edit-a-thon, adding unrepresented women to the site, improving existing coverage of women, and other targeted editing.

Wikimedia UK says it broke a record for “the highest number of entries about women added to Wikipedia in a single event”.

The BBC live-blogged the process, including the creation of a page for Fatuma Ali Saman - a teacher and central figure in the fight for womens’ rights and representation in Kenya, Laura Coryton - who campaigned to remove the tax on tampons in the UK, and Ieshia Evans – a civil rights activist in a prominent US protest photo.

Many of the pages have already been marked for further edits, to be merged into larger articles, or deletion, as they do not meet Wikipedia’s strict ‘notability’ guidelines.

BBC editor Fiona Crack says internet is often a “negative place for women”.

“Instances of revenge porn and trolling are much higher for women. It seemed a fitting end to the season to find way of addressing some of that sexism,” she said.

“Wikimedia is committed to building an inclusive online community and ensuring that Wikipedia reflects our diverse society and is free from bias,” Wikimedia UK chief Lucy Crompton-Reid said in a statement.

It is not the first time gender disparity has been challenged via the medium of Wikipedia.

On International Women's Day this year, Wikipedia editors held a similar edit-a-thon event to improve Wikipedia's coverage of women.

It saw over 400 new articles added and over 500 improvements made to the accuracy and scope of existing articles.

Additionally, Australian scientists undertook a ‘Wikibomb’ editing spree in August this year, creating or adding detail to 93 Wikipedia profiles.