Macho culture, coding contests & hackathons: Why women are being put off by Data Science roles
Women hold less than a quarter of jobs in data science.
By Reuters |
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As technology transforms the world, data scientists have become among the most in-demand workers.
LONDON: Macho work cultures are driving away young women from data science jobs, said analysts on Thursday, warning a failure to diversify the male-dominated sector could result in biased technology that discriminates against women.
Women hold less than a quarter of jobs in data science - where they use tech to analyse trends - and female students are put off by combative recruiting events like coding contests and hackathons, found consulting firm Boston Consulting Group.
"We need a woman's perspective to ensure what we build for our society represents our society," said Andrea Gallego, a partner at BCG GAMMA, the group's data arm, who added that the problem extended into other fields.
"If we start building models with biased teams, we are going to run into a number of longer term effects including ethics issues and models propagating a bias we're trying to stop."
The report comes amid concerns that the male-dominated tech sector is shoring up gender pay gaps and can result in tech which has in-built discrimination against women.
As technology transforms the world, data scientists have become among the most in-demand workers, according to reports by the career networking site LinkedIn published last month, which found it was the third fastest-growing job in the United States.
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But the sector is failing to attract a wider pipeline of female talent in entry level jobs, found the report, based on surveys of more than 9,000 students and recent graduates with data-related degrees in about a dozen countries.
The report comes amid concerns that the male-dominated tech sector is shoring up gender pay gaps.
Young women were significantly more likely than men to see data science as uncomfortably competitive, said researchers.
They were also less likely to feel well-informed about career opportunities in data science, though countries with a higher proportion of women in tech did better at reaching women at the start of their careers.
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The report called on companies to deal with the sector's "image problem" among women, including by building more inclusive and collaborative cultures.
Allyson Zimmerman of non-profit group Catalyst, which works to make workplaces more inclusive to women, said the data reflected a macho "bro-grammer" culture in many tech firms.
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"Many workplaces have been designed by men for men," said Zimmerman, who heads the firm's operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, adding that firms should be concerned about a lack of female staffers.
"The number one way you can compete is through your talent. If you don't have diverse talent throughout the ranks you are missing out on innovation, better teams, better decisions and better outcomes," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. (Reporting by Sonia Elks @soniaelks; Editing by Katy Migiro. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change.
How Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams & Other Women Across The World Fared In Space
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Last week saw the first all-women team doing a spacewalk, but how have other women fared at the final frontier?
Last week saw the first all-women team doing a spacewalk, but how have other women fared at the final frontier?
The Soviet pilot-cosmonaut was the first woman to do a spacewalk, when she flew to the space station Salyut 7 in December 1981. Later, speaking of her time in outer space, she recalled encountering sexism.
The Soviet pilot-cosmonaut was the first woman to do a spacewalk, when she flew to the space station Salyut 7 in December 1981. Later, speaking of her time in outer space, she recalled encountering s..
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Chiaki was the first Japanese woman in space, a feat she accomplished when she went aboard space shuttle Columbia in July 1994. Four years later, she became the first Japanese citizen to have two space flights.
Chiaki was the first Japanese woman in space, a feat she accomplished when she went aboard space shuttle Columbia in July 1994. Four years later, she became the first Japanese citizen to have two spa..
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Indo-US astronaut Sunita Williams holds the record of the longest space flight by a woman. In all, she has been on seven spacewalks. In August 2007, she also became the first person to run a marathon in space.
Indo-US astronaut Sunita Williams holds the record of the longest space flight by a woman. In all, she has been on seven spacewalks. In August 2007, she also became the first person to run a marathon..
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Collins was a NASA astronaut who became the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle, the STS-93 mission, that was launched in July 1999. She also became the first astronaut to fly the shuttle through a complete 360-degree manoeuvre.
Collins was a NASA astronaut who became the first female pilot and first female commander of a space shuttle, the STS-93 mission, that was launched in July 1999. She also became the first astronaut t..
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Chawla became the first woman of Indian descent to go into space, although she was with NASA. She was one of the seven members on the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon atmospheric entry, killing all seven in 2003.
Chawla became the first woman of Indian descent to go into space, although she was with NASA. She was one of the seven members on the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon atmosp..
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Tereshkova is the first and youngest woman to have flown in space, with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 in June 1963. Upon her return, she was given the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.
Tereshkova is the first and youngest woman to have flown in space, with a solo mission on the Vostok 6 in June 1963. Upon her return, she was given the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’.
