RevolutionData Building the Workforce of the Future The “There cannot be equity in society without equity in data collection, curation, and decisions.” Women in Big Data Founders
04 Who we are 06 Timeline and achievements of women in data-related fields 08 Global community, locally led 10 Workforce bias in data-related fields 12 Why our work matters 14 Change agents delivering impact 15 Chapter innovation 1716 Our vision for the future The journey forward Contents
Women in Big Data started as a grass-roots organization in 2015 with the mission to grow tangible opportunities for women, unlock latent potential, act as a catalyst for advancement, and empower equity allies of any gender. Starting with 15 members and one chapter in San Francisco, the WiBD community grew to over 17,000+ members across 40+ chapters and six continents spreading inspiration, growing professional networks, and representing women’s success on an ever-expanding platform.
Who we are 4
Women in Big Data (WiBD) is an inclusive community of professionals and aspiring professionals who appreciate that big data is a tool being harnessed at every level, in every industry today, to shape tomorrow. We believe that female practitioners and leaders offer tremendous talent, ingenuity, and unique perspectives that will amplify the positive impact of big data on our future. To that end, our supportive community of women and allies are united in a common vision in which gender doesn’t limit participation and impact in big data-influenced careers.
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40+ 250+6 Global chapters Trainings to dateContinents Global community, locally led
Internationally supported, community led The beauty of WiBD is the combination of global reach and local touch. Globally, we provide infrastructure, and we connect data professionals all over the globe. Locally, our chapter leaders curate events uniquely relevant to women in their region, and connect job seekers outside the urban center with opportunities. The combination of global infrastructure and grassroots-led chapter distinguishes WiBD from other women’s tech advocacy organizations. Our outreach brings in women who in the past had only heard of the option to work in data related fields to meaningful careers. We then follow them and provide support across their career lifecycle.
All17000+ Members Genders For the most up to date information, please visit our website7
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Katherine Johnson, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her lifetime of work as a pioneering physicist, mathematician and space scientist. She and her colleagues, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson did the calculations that guided NASA’s 1962 Friendship 7 Mission.
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2015 20182016 2017
How women in WiBD has grown exponentially. Top timeline Selected achievements of women in data related fields. Bottom timeline Women of color from major technology companies in the San Francisco (including Intel Corp, SAP, IBM, and Cloudera) convened to discuss the lack of women and diversity, in the growing field of data related fields and analytics. We formed a volunteer forum with the goal of inspiring, connecting, growing and championing the success of women in data-related fields.
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim receives the L’OréalUNESCO for Women in Science Awards for her remarkable contribution to the prevention and treatment of HIV and associated infections, greatly improving the quality of life of women in Africa. Maria Teresa Ruiz is appointed Professor Astrophysics / Universidad de Chile, Chile Recognized for her contributions to the study of a variety of faint celestial objects hidden in the darkness of the universe. Her observations on brown dwarfs could answer the universal question of whether there is life on other planets.
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Timeline and achievements of women in data-related fields
Six years later, we are a rapidly and exponentially expanding 501c3 non-profit organization with more than 17,000+ members and 40+ chapters on six continents.
Catherine Ngila, Acting Executive Director of the African Academy of Sciences
Kyoko Nozaki receives the L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Awards Recognized for her pioneering creative contributions within the field of synthetic chemistry and the importance to industrial innovation.
members8000worldwide 250+Events
Susana Arrechea, Ellawalla Kankanamge, Chao Mbogo, Samia Subrina, and Fathiah Zakham win the OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Awards for Early-Career Women Scientists in the Developing World. The winning scholars are being recognized for their diverse accomplishments in engineering, innovation & technology. The prize also acknowledges the scientists’ commitment to leading and mentoring young scientists, and to improving lives and livelihoods in their communities and regions.
Karen Uhlenbeck receives the Abel Prize for Mathematics for her fundamental work in geometric analysis and gauge theory, which has dramatically changed the mathematical landscape.
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17000+membersworldwide 2019 2020 2021
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declined since 1991, when it peaked at 36%.3 91 01 11 36% 26% of
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1 The number
1. “Skills, Work Experience, And Education Of 1,001 Data Scientists In 2019.” 365 Data Science, 1 Feb. 2021, 365datascience.com/career-advice/career-guides/data-scientist-profile-2019/.
3. Angela.galik@ncwit.org.
2. Duranton, Sylvain, et al. “What’s Keeping Women Out of Data Science?” United States - EN, United States - EN, 8 Jan. 2021, www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2020/what-keeps-women-out-data-science.
“Women in Tech: The Facts (2016 Update): National Center for Women & Information Technology.” NCWIT.org, 13 May 2021, ncwit.org/resource/thefacts/.
WiBD address the lack of meaningful support and gender inequity in the work place
4. “Women in Data Science and AI.” The Alan Turing Institute, 10 Aug. 2020, www.turing.ac.uk/research/ research-projects/women-data-science-and-ai. 10
Women make up of data professionals. of women in computing occupations has steadily women in private mid-careerleavecompaniestechnologytheirorganizationsatthepoint(10–20years). all professionals in data science–related roles are women. their tech training altogether Of the women who leave, and move on to other occupations.4
only 26%
2 15%–22% abandon
56% of
Workforce bias in data-related fields
Only 13 of the 500 individuals on the list of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies from August 2020 are women—all of them were white.5 In the US, in 2021 gender representation does not abide by standards of diversity, equity and inclusion:6 25% womenTotal 3% Black 7% Asian 2% Latinx “If we don’t get women and people of color at the table—real technologists doing the real work—we will bias systems. Trying to reverse that a decade or two from now will be so much more difficult, if not close to impossible.” Melinda French Gates 5. “A New Low for the Global 500: No Women of Color Run Businesses on This Year’s List.” 2020. 6. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employed and Experienced Unemployed Persons by Detailed Occupation, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, 2020 (unpublished table from Current Population Survey 2020). 11
Nahia Orduña C0-founder,
Data is not neutral Data does not exist in a vacuum. Data is collected, analyzed, interpreted, and distributed by people, who bring to their work their subjective experiences and biases. The way that data is collected, analyzed and distributed can create and perpetuate power imbalances—or correct them.
Why our work matters
The value of a diversified workforce Research shows that gender equality has a positive impact on the workplace. The presence of women increases a group’s problem-solving abilities (Woolley et al. (2010) and drives innovation (Sastre (2014). Gender diversity is also associated with higher sales revenues, larger numbers of customers, as well as greater relative profits (Herring (2009).
“Non-homogeneous teams are more capable than homogenous teams of recognizing their biases and solving issues when interpreting data, testing solutions or making decisions.”
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Diverse opinions and thought are central to a healthy future Bringing diverse perspectives and a wide range of experiences into data science helps correct power imbalances and contribute to equitable decision-making. Data analytics, if properly applied, hold great potential to target inequities and reduce disparities.
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Escalating promotion and retention rates for minorities and women 15% to 38% as compared to non-mentored employees. Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
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Radhika Rangarajan Co-founder, Women in Big Data Eliminating bias enhances financial outcomes “25% of growth in U.S. GDP between 1960 and 2010 can be attributed to greater gender and racial balance in the workplace.” This figure could be as high as 40%.
Mentoring programs enhance upward mobility by
Millions of job opportunities
• Infusing diverse populations representation at the management level from 9% to 24%.
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The data science job industry is growing at breakneck speed. According to Forbes, the demand for data scientists and advanced analysts grew by 28% in 2020 alone. In 2021, there will be more than 2.7 million data scientist job openings in the US alone. WiBD is committed to helping women and equity allies seize these opportunities— because it benefits job seekers, employers, and the world at large
Meeting the demand in a burgeoning field Data science is a tool being harnessed at every level, in every industry today, to shape tomorrow. Data science is an essential tool in business and technology, but it is disproportionately gathered, analyzed, and harnessed by men. We believe our members and leaders offer untapped talent, ingenuity, and unique perspectives that will amplify the positive impact of data science on our future. To that end, our supportive community of women and men are united in a common vision in which gender doesn’t limit significant participation in data science-influenced careers. “Cognitive bias will heavily impair judgment on the kind of data that powers the cloud. It is important to ensure that we mitigate this with diverse representation driving key questions around data collection, curation and implementation.”
WiBD serves organizations around the world who are in need of talented, diverse data practitioners and leaders and links international talent with opportunities.
A connector
Change agents delivering impact
A community Data science professionals offer support to one another at all points on the career spectrum through free local meetups and trainings.
A career cultivator
WiBD amplifies local leadership, promotes active volunteering and community engagement. Trainings culminate with credentialing. We connect partner organizations with a network of thousands of skilled candidates for data analyst jobs. Our global community provides the infrastructure
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Input Impact
WiBD begins cultivating women for data science careers in college, and we stay with them every step of the way, supporting them from internships to entry-level jobs to leadership positions. Through a global mentoring network and local chapters in 41 countries, we continue to increase our community of women exponentially.
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SOUTH AFRICA CHAPTER Mentorship
Focus of the coaching: Entry into IT Career and leadership Technologies development Startups and digital marketing
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Lessons from the trenches Women in Big Data Silicon Valley
The takeaway for the teams was that it was not about the destination but the journey of collaboration and learning that made the difference. The supportive network of new friends shared how to use a tool set facilitating the move from theory to practice with the conviction that the data world is within reach.
Women in Big Data Russia’s Mentor in Tech Initiative 1:1 mentorship sessions 250 mentees and 110 mentors Women in Big Data Russia in partnership with Women in Tech, Women on BOD, Intel, International Coaching Federation, and NFPMC launched a program for women focused on coaching strategies from March May 2021.
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ElevatingCHAPTERthroughactions
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Chapter innovation
The Challenge Competition focused on real problems and how important hands-on experience with real data, real constraints, and real challenges will positively impact their learning and progression.
Examples of culturally nuanced direction inspiring programming categories data scientists across 41 countries worked to collect data in between the 10 year census collection period to bring light to the gap in needed data addressing family poverty. Accurate estimates of these statistics in between census cycles is crucial.
RUSSIA
INDIA CHAPTER Each one, teach one Women in Big Data India created five anchor programs inspired by five women archetypes; Vidya: Regular events with leaders from industry, government, education institutions Saraswati: Curriculum design and development with leading practitioners from industry and academia Shakti: Women looking to start/restart education or career Gayatri: Partnerships with industry associations and corporations for development and execution of programs in developing women leaders Lakshmi: Job fairs for employers to provide internship and full-time employment opportunities
Topics included: Predicting wind speeds of tropical storms DengAI: Predicting Disease Spread
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WiBD and Microsoft sponsored a data science competition in collaboration with HERE Technologies focused on supporting female led households from November 2019 February 2020.
PALO ALTO, US CHAPTER
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Female-headed households tend to face greater social and economic challenges and in general, are economically more vulnerable and struggle with higher rates of poverty.
Every day—all over the world—hundreds of Women in Big Data volunteers are working tirelessly on engaging community members, hosting free educational training in areas such as AI and data science, and supporting women over their career lifecycle. We invite investors, sponsors, partners, and funders to work with us over the next decade as we build equitable future.
“It is imperative that we focus on building a diverse and inclusive workforce, for the benefit of thinking and problem-solving around the use of data. The impact of data on our future is determined now. Women in Big Data is playing a large role in ensuring that the future is equitable.”
How you can participate
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Community member Connect and leverage the many opportunities available through our global platform and worldwide chapters/ meetups to upskill, network, be mentored and give back to the community.
Funding partners and donors Fund one or more of our foundational programs, join forces with us as a strategic partner and as an advisor to our board and help deliver impactful programs to underrepresented communities around the globe.
Our vision for the future
Community volunteer Offer your skills to deliver a training, mentor someone, organize an event, lead a chapter, be part of a non-profit community journey.
Dipti Borkar Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Ahana
Collaborate and deliver value-added events at the local/ regional/global level, open up conference and media participation opportunities for the diverse global community.
Program partners
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Leadership development Connect aspiring women leaders with experienced leaders who can offer insight, advice and support about the leadership journey. A multi-month program that develops participants’ skills, knowledge, network, and resources to propel participant’s careers and build a workforce.leadershippromotable Networking Women and equity allies seeking jobs are connected with companies and organizations seeking talent.
Mentorship Emerging professionals are matched with experienced professionals from around the world to support them to progress at every stage of their career.
WiBD business professionals join forces with academia and collaborate on training through internships, building pipeline through recruitment and stoke their enthusiasm for careers in data related fields mentorshipthroughandsupportthatextendsacrosstheircareerlifecycle.
Outreach
The journey forward
developmentSkills Women are supported to strengthen their technical skills and their credentials through free trainings that lead to certification.
Women in Big Data is a 501(c)(3) international career cultivation organization for women and individuals of all genders. www.womeninbigdata.org © Women in Big Data™ Inc No one is coming, it’s up to us. Be a part of the revolution to build an ethical data future and invest in diverse perspectives.
