[OSGeo-Discuss] Why are women under-represented among the ranks of data scientists?

[Suchith Anand]

Hi all,





Women are still under-represented in science globally. Women are less likely to be consulted on the design of data policies and initiatives; under-represented among the ranks of data scientists; and often uncounted in official statistics. Why?




On behalf of the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition, I would like to share the recording of the webinar from  Web Foundation's Ana Brandusescu on “The gender and open data intersection” at our webinar series section at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLv8yRTnf9h7j-5SoKRs6lEsdI1EyzM8Cc




Ana Brandusescu is a Research and Policy Officer at the World Wide Web Foundation. She is focused on driving a more inclusive use of data and enhancing digital rights, through various data, research and policy projects. These include Women’s Rights Online, IDEA – Initiative for Data Equity in Africa and the Open Data Barometer. She also works on open contracting and governance, and artificial intelligence. She has eight years of research experience in data analysis, data standards, open source applications, and participatory projects. Her work has included global advocacy, research evidence and mapping, policy, and strategic partnerships in open data for agriculture and nutrition, participatory mapping in Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific, crowdmapping and community development in Canada, geovisualizing trauma injuries in South Africa, and representing informal communities with free and open source software tools in India. She previously worked for the Web Foundation in the development of pioneering the Open Contracting Data Standard with the World Bank. Ana obtained a graduate degree from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.




In this webinar, Ana gave excellent examples of the work done by various women’s groups around the world.  Women are less likely to be online than men; less likely to be consulted on the design of data policies and initiatives; under-represented among the ranks of data scientists; and often uncounted in official statistics. The gender and open data intersection can be used to open up a conversation on the current state of government data, and how it can be improved. Ultimately, women should use open data to empower themselves. Open data must be used to support women and their needs as well as address the role governments play to support these efforts with data and create better citizen-state engagement. This is about data equity — data that everyone can access and use. But how do we get there? 




I want to make use of this opportunity to thank all women who are contributing actively to Education and Capacity development activities globally. It is important to remember the contributions of mothers and grandmothers all over the world make for education/capacity development. Education/Capacity development is long term investment. Many of the small holder farmers in the developing world are women. They are also the main breadwinners of their families. One of the GODAN success story videos (OPEN FIELDS ) in Kenya is a good example of how technology and open data in agriculture is helping small holder women farmers. In OPEN FIELDS, viewers meet Eunice, a successful smallholder farmer who lives outside of Mombasa, Kenya. Please see the video at http://www.godan.info/pages/documentary-series 




In my humble opinion, technology provides great opportunities for enabling STEM education for all (especially for the poorest families). GeoForAll is committed to work for furthering STEM education opportunities for girls globally  (GIS at Schools is a good example that we need to expand work and ideas) and we hope this will help in future to ensure there will more women scientists globally. Please share our resources with all https://www.osgeo.org/foundation-news/please-share-geoforall-teaching-research-resources-colleagues-students/




Best wishes,




Suchith




PS: My personal role model for education in action  is my grandmother who though never got opportunity to have formal education or qualifications herself made sure inspite of lot of hardships ,  my mother got education and was able to work and have financial independence . My mother went on get job and she worked till she retired some years back (she is now 72 and  actively contributing in her individual capacity to girls education in local schools near our home in  India along with my father) . I am so thankful  that I had a educated and working mother.  It is thanks to my grandmother’s exceptional determination and efforts that benefited my whole family . So it  is important to remember the contributions of mothers and grandmothers all over the world make for education/capacity development. I am  very proud of my wife who is also a working mother and great role model for our 8 year old son. We are a GeoForAll family :-)

  
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