Women in Data

Women in Data is a United Kingdom-founded organisation and professional community focused on improving the participation, progression and visibility of women in data and technology. Established in 2014 by Roisin McCarthy, the organisation emerged from concerns about the comparatively low number of women entering, advancing in and remaining in data science, analytics and related technical professions. McCarthy’s recruitment experience highlighted a decline in female candidates and the structural barriers affecting the data workforce. She subsequently worked with data specialist Payal Jain to develop a community intended to make the sector more welcoming, connected and representative. The organisation operates as both a membership community and an advocacy movement. Its activities include networking, conferences, workshops, professional development, knowledge sharing, public discussion and partnerships with employers and technology organisations. Membership has been presented as free, allowing professionals at different career stages to participate without a conventional subscription barrier. Women in Data also seeks to connect practitioners with companies, mentors, role models and potential employers, while encouraging organisations to examine the policies and workplace conditions that influence recruitment and retention. Its public programming expanded rapidly after its first major event at University College London in 2015. By 2019, its conference had attracted more than 1,200 attendees. During the COVID-19 period, the organisation shifted substantial activity online, with thousands participating in a week of virtual events and workshops. The community was reported to have exceeded 30,000 members by 2022 and is described in more recent reference material as having more than 110,000 members; the dates and measurement methods for these figures are not specified in the available sources. Women in Data has developed several programmes addressing different stages of the talent pipeline and different applications of data. The Twenty in Data & Tech Awards, created in 2017 with Edwina Dunn of The Female Lead, recognises twenty women each year for achievements and contributions across the data and technology sector. Girls in Data, launched in 2020, introduces teenage girls to data, technology and STEM subjects through role models and educational engagement. The organisation has also used its platform to examine data-related questions in public-interest areas including women's safety, women's health and menopause. Its partnerships are central to its operating model. Reference material identifies more than fifty national and international partner organisations, including technology companies, retailers, banks, professional-services firms and other employers. Named supporters have included Snowflake, Sainsbury's, Google, Experian, Lloyds Banking Group, TUI Group, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, LEGO, Microsoft, BT, Very Group, Marks & Spencer, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail and Hotels.com. These relationships help fund or support events, provide speakers and mentors, and connect the community's inclusion agenda with employer practice. The organisation's rationale extends beyond workforce equality. Women in Data argues that underrepresentation can affect the quality and safety of data products and artificial-intelligence systems because datasets, assumptions and design decisions may fail to reflect the experiences of women. It therefore combines career support with broader conversations about responsible data use, ethics and social outcomes. Women in Data remains an active community and campaign platform, although detailed information about its legal structure, headquarters, current leadership and financial model is not established in the supplied reference material.

Women in Data was founded in 2014 after Roisin McCarthy, drawing on more than fifteen years of recruitment experience in data science and analytics, identified a persistent decline in the number of women applying for and progressing through data-related careers. She worked with data expert Payal Jain to establish a community addressing the barriers that affected recruitment, career development and retention. The organisation's initial approach was to create a supportive professional network where women could exchange knowledge, find role models and build relationships with peers and employers. Free membership was intended to make participation broadly accessible. The organisation's public profile grew through media appearances, networking activities and conferences. Its first major event took place at University College London in 2015. By 2019, the annual conference had grown to more than 1,200 attendees and was held at the InterContinental London - The O2. The event's growth reflected the increasing public and commercial interest in the lack of gender diversity in data science, analytics and artificial intelligence, even as women continued to enter the sector at lower rates than men. In 2017, Women in Data collaborated with Edwina Dunn, founder of The Female Lead, to establish the Twenty in Data & Tech Awards. The awards created a recurring mechanism for recognising women across different career stages rather than focusing only on senior executives. They also gave the organisation a way to highlight varied technical, analytical, leadership and community contributions. The COVID-19 period accelerated the organisation's use of virtual delivery. A week of online Women in Data events and workshops reached thousands of participants, extending access beyond the physical conference audience. By 2022, reference material reported a community of more than 30,000 members. Other supplied material describes membership as having later exceeded 110,000, although no date or methodology is provided for that larger figure. Women in Data subsequently broadened its work beyond professional networking. Girls in Data was developed in 2020 with The Female Lead and introduced data and technology concepts to young female pupils, including through engagement with a school in Hampshire and the presentation of positive role models. In 2021, Women in Data Week examined women's safety, bringing together experts, survivors, technologists and partner organisations to discuss how data could support safety while also creating risks through exploitation, weak governance or unethical use. In 2022, the organisation launched MenopauseX with Newson Health Menopause Society and the Balance App. The initiative sought to use data and analysis to improve understanding of menopause and women's well-being and was supported by a volunteer group of data scientists, analysts and consultants. The same year, Women in Data partnered with Capgemini Invent on a senior-leader session about women's health. Participants from organisations including NHS England, Cancer Research UK and the Department of Health and Social Care considered the role of data in addressing unequal healthcare outcomes. The conclusions were developed into a white paper released in July 2022. Partnerships have remained an important part of the organisation's model. The supplied reference material reports more than fifty national and international partnerships, spanning technology, finance, retail, consumer goods and professional services. Named partners include Snowflake, Sainsbury's, Google, Experian, Lloyds Banking Group, TUI Group, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, LEGO, Microsoft, BT, Very Group, Marks & Spencer, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Mail and Hotels.com. Women in Data uses these relationships to support events, connect members with employers and bring industry expertise into debates about inclusion and responsible data practice. The organisation's underlying argument is that gender representation is both an equality issue and a data-quality issue. A workforce that lacks diverse perspectives may overlook how products, automated systems and datasets affect women. Women in Data therefore combines career support with advocacy concerning responsible artificial intelligence, data ethics, safety and health. The available references do not establish its current legal form, headquarters, financial performance or present executive team beyond the founding figures.

• 2022

  MenopauseX is announced

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Women in Data partnered with Newson Health Menopause Society and the Balance App on a data-focused menopause initiative.

• 2022

  Women's health session and white paper

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  A partnership with Capgemini Invent examined how data could help address gender inequalities in healthcare; the resulting conclusions were published in a white paper in July.

• 2021

  Women's safety becomes a central programme theme

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Women in Data Week explored the potential and risks of data in improving women's safety.

• 2020

  Girls in Data is developed

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Women in Data launched an educational initiative to introduce young girls to STEM, data and technology careers.

• 2019

  Conference attendance exceeds 1,200

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  The Women in Data conference welcomed more than 1,200 attendees at the InterContinental London - The O2.

• 2017

  Twenty in Data & Tech Awards begins

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Women in Data and The Female Lead created an annual awards programme celebrating twenty women in data and technology.

• 2015

  First major public event

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Women in Data held its first major event at University College London, helping establish its conference and community presence.

• 2014

  Women in Data is founded

  [1]Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org

  Roisin McCarthy founded Women in Data with the aim of improving gender diversity and career support in data, analytics and technology.

An inclusive professional community and advocacy platform designed to increase the representation, progression and influence of women and gender-diverse people in data, analytics, artificial intelligence and technology.

• Professional community · 2014

  Women in Data community

  The organisation's core offering is a professional community for women and gender-diverse practitioners in data, analytics, artificial intelligence and technology. It provides opportunities to network, exchange technical and career knowledge, participate in events and connect with partner companies. The membership model has been described as free, supporting broad access across career stages.

• Events · 2015

  Women in Data events and conference

  Women in Data runs in-person and virtual conferences, workshops, networking sessions and discussions. The events provide a platform for practitioners and subject-matter experts to share technical knowledge, discuss workplace inclusion and examine the social consequences of data and artificial intelligence.

• Awards · 2017

  Twenty in Data & Tech Awards

  Created with The Female Lead, the awards recognise twenty women each year for their achievements and contributions in data and technology. The programme is intended to showcase varied career paths and achievements across different levels of experience.

• Education and outreach · 2020

  Girls in Data

  Girls in Data is an outreach initiative designed to encourage young girls to consider STEM, data and technology. It uses school engagement and female role models to introduce the field during the early teenage years and address the future talent pipeline.

• Data-for-health initiative · 2022

  MenopauseX

  MenopauseX was developed with Newson Health Menopause Society and the Balance App to apply data insights and recommendations to menopause and women's well-being. The initiative has involved volunteer data scientists, analysts and consultants.

• 2022Women's Health

  United Kingdom

  With Capgemini Invent, Women in Data convened senior experts to examine unequal healthcare outcomes and the role data could play in improving women's health.

  Outcome. The session's conclusions were developed into a white paper published in July 2022.

  Source
• 2021Data and Women's Safety

  United Kingdom

  Women in Data Week addressed women's safety and considered how data collection, governance, protection, ethics and exploitation affect women's lives.

  Outcome. The campaign broadened discussion of data from workforce representation to public safety and responsible technology.

  Source
• 2020Girls in Data

  United Kingdom

  Women in Data worked with The Female Lead to introduce girls to STEM and data careers, including an engagement with female pupils at a Hampshire school.

  Outcome. The initiative provided early exposure to the sector and connected pupils with female role models; longer-term participation outcomes are not specified.

  Source

• 2022

  Creation of MenopauseXProduct launch

  Background

  Women in Data sought to apply data expertise to an area where women’s health information and support were viewed as inadequate.

  Action taken

  It announced MenopauseX in partnership with Newson Health Menopause Society and the Balance App.

  Aftermath

  The initiative assembled a volunteer team of data scientists, analysts and consultants; its measurable outcomes are not specified.

  Source

• 2021

  Focus on data and women's safetyStrategy

  Background

  The murder of Sarah Everard intensified public discussion of women's safety and the role of institutions and technology in addressing it.

  Action taken

  Women in Data dedicated Women in Data Week to data strategy, protection, ethics and the potential misuse of data in relation to women's safety.

  Aftermath

  The programme expanded the organisation's public-interest agenda beyond employment and professional representation.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch of Girls in DataProduct launch

  Background

  The organisation identified the need to encourage girls to consider data and technology before they reached career-selection stages.

  Action taken

  It created an outreach programme using STEM engagement and female role models for young pupils.

  Aftermath

  Girls in Data became part of Women in Data's broader effort to improve the future pipeline of women in technical careers.

  Source

1. 1Women in Dataen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Women in Data official websitewomenindata.co.uk