Analytics India Magazine’s last year’s interaction with women in data science revealed several interesting insights. While many believed that there aren’t as many women in data and analytics, there were others who believed that hiring in data science is a pure skills-based analysis as opposed to facing gender disparity. That being said, there is no denying that the number of women adopting for STEM background and adorning the data science leadership roles is comparatively low compared to men and this tells us a lot about a lot of uplifting that women need in the industry.
Keeping this in mind, our one-day event, The Rising brings women data science leaders from across the domain to discuss and exchange ideas. The conference aims at providing a platform to leading women visionaries to dive into the field of data science and share their perspective of how to build a career in this field. Scheduled to be held on 8th March at Bengaluru, it will empower women in data science in more than one way. In this article, we list five ways The Rising will empower women in data science.
Inspiring journey for women data science leaders: Analytics and data science currently has a limited number of women who young professionals can look up to as role models. To inspire women to get into technology, it is important that they see role models and be aware of their success stories. The Rising will bring women from top leadership who will inspire and enable the next generation of female data scientists, with talks on their exceptional journeys. Given that there are very few women in leadership roles in these domains, it is not seen as a natural career choice for many. The Rising will encourage, support and discuss opportunities to motivate more women to join the tech sector.
Encourage women to explore multiple career options: There are many professionals in data science currently who have transformed their careers from various different fields such as IT into data and analytics. The Rising will bring a community of women data scientists together who can explore various functions within analytics such as marketing research, syndicated research, business intelligence, predictive modelling, text mining, fraud analytics, financial data analysis, attrition data analysis, and more, opening the doors of all possibilities. They can discuss, interact and explore what lies ahead of their career path.
Looking out for work-life balance: When we talk about women professionals, the one thing that comes on the priority list is the work-life balance. There are many women who are still struggling to strike a balance or are overwhelmed with the stigmas that come associated with working professionals. The Rising will bring successful women data scientists who have successfully juggled the work-life balance and will empower them with amazing lessons to lead a life like a boss while taking care of both.
Prioritising and encouraging women with STEM background: It is the need of the hour to incorporate next-gen technology topics into the education curriculum. It is also important to create awareness and curiosity for new tech jobs by branding them as exciting career opportunities for women, and that is what the Rising aims at doing. There is a need to bring a systematic and sustained effort from schools to universities and workplaces, to encourage women in technology careers.
Exposure to the women-friendly and supporting environment: The Rising bring women data science leaders from various backgrounds who will bring a lot of diversity on the table. As the data science market is exploding with opportunities, the event will talk about various opportunities that are currently there in the industry and the ones that favour the women-friendly environment. It will empower women encouraging them to explore various avenues and know what is right for them and what is not. For instance, there are various programs that companies run for women empowerment. For example, PayPal runs a program called Recharge that is targeted to bring women who have left the workforce, due to personal reasons, back to work. It will bring various other programs and initiatives that are meant to empower women in every way possible.
