Scilence 48 Data Science & DIVERSITY

Harvard once called Data Science the sexiest job of the 21st Century, which is exactly what my guest does, this week on Scilence.  Having originally studied Physics, she asked herself what she wants out of life and what makes her happy and landed on this career choice, knowing that most of her time would be spent at work.

Surprisingly, she experienced very little gender discrimination during her physics degree in academia, but certainly became conscious of being female once she reached industry, with people making condescending assumptions about her, just for being female.  She believes that women in STEM, 20-30 years ago, certainly needed a thicker skin.  Today, she ditches the dresses for gender neutral clothing, to improve the way she is received by others.   

Emotional well-being is not prioritised highly enough in the workplace, with physical ailments always taking precedence over mental illness.  Even talking about it is seen to be a weakness or awkward.  As women we walk a tight-rope in showing our feelings at work. 

My guest observes that the most successful women in her industry have very supportive people in their lives.  Men should try to be supportive towards women instead of competing with them, but it is also about finding your equals.  The best leaders are the ones that create new leaders, yet women who appear to have it all make her feel guilty about her own accomplishments. 

She isn’t so familiar with contentment, because she has been so ambitious in her lifetime, but she is certainly passionate about diversity and offers many suggestions in achieving more inclusive work environments.