Imagine walking through a British woodland with your smartphone: you photograph a rare butterfly, record a bird's song, send the data to a national project. You're a citizen scientist — one of those volunteers who, without a lab coat, help science monitor biodiversity. In the UK this tradition is old and deeply rooted: over 165 active projects exist, run mainly by large organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or the Biological Records Centre. Most follow a "contributory" model: volunteers collect data, scientists analyse it.
But who really keeps these projects running? A recent study interviewed 14 women active in UK biological recording. Their contribution goes far beyond data collection: they mentor newcomers, coordinate volunteer groups, organise outreach events, manage databases, resolve conflicts. It's relational and organisational labour, often invisible in official reports and formal recognition systems.
Interviewees describe expertise built "on the ground", moving across projects, learning independently or swapping tips in informal chats. Access to specialist roles — like record verification or training — depends on organisational cultures, digital tools, and life circumstances (work, caregiving, health).
Researchers propose a new conceptual framework: "gendered citizen science infrastructures". The idea is that institutions, technologies, and social norms intertwine to create different pathways for men and women. Recognising invisible labour — not just data, but community care — is the first step toward more inclusive, lasting citizen science. Because when the person holding the project together leaves, the data stops coming.
