Changing the Statistics Community: Effective Strategies for Promoting an Inclusive and Equitable Culture for Women

• Activity Number: 400 - Changing the Statistics Community: Effective Strategies for Promoting an Inclusive and Equitable Culture for Women
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 30, 2019 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Committee on Women in Statistics
• Author(s): Wendy L Martinez* and Debashis Ghosh* and Suzanne Thornton* and Jen Hecht* and Gabriela de Queiroz* and Karthik Ram*
• Companies: Berkeley Institute for Data Science at UC Berkeley and Bureau of Labor Statistics and IBM and R Studio and Rutgers University and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
• Keywords: Gender bias; Sexual misconduct; Inclusive environment; Culture change; LGBT; Harassment

Abstract

At the JSM 2018 meeting, six statisticians engaged in an important, timely dialogue, “Addressing Sexual Misconduct in the Statistics Community,” motivated by the #MeToo cultural revolution and increased awareness of sexual harassment in the statistics community. A common theme echoed by both panelists and audience was that effective strategies are needed to promote an inclusive, equitable culture, free of gender bias and sexual harassment. However, we acknowledge that changing culture is not easy and for many who would like to encourage further progress, it can be very difficult to figure out where to start. In this session, we will highlight innovative efforts by statisticians who have actively sought to positively change culture in their work environment and through local, national, and international platforms in the fields of statistics and data science. The panelists’ major objective is to discuss specific strategies on how to make a positive culture in our community. The ultimate goal for this session is that audience members will be able to implement strategies described by the panelists in their own work environment to change the culture in a tangible way.