Evergreen G
Promoting an Inclusive and Equitable Culture for Women in Statistics and Data Science: Recommendations from the ASA Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Assault (306488)
*Emma Benn, Mount Sinai School of Medicine*Donna LaLonde, American Statistical Association
*Leslie McClure, Drexel University
Keywords: Sexual misconduct
Sexual misconduct is a threat to society, and has had a deleterious impact on the statistical community. Recent reports of misconduct by statisticians and data scientists have many people wondering what the ASA can and should do for its membership. The ASA Task Force (TF) on Sexual Harassment and Assault was appointed to seek understanding of sexual misconduct in ASA, and provide data-driven recommendations to the Board regarding policy and other changes. The TF’s final report to the Board describes feedback from the ASA community, and provides an updated Conduct Policy. The report also included ideas for processes to manage reports of misconduct, and recommendations for culture change, shaped by the data received from the membership, and provided with the goal of promoting a more equitable culture in the statistical community. We present some of the feedback describing the extent of sexual misconduct among ASA members, and briefly describe the TF recommendations. We hope to gain insights from WSDS attendees about how the community can effectively foster and sustain a more inclusive culture and equitable distribution of power to ensure the safety, success and promotion of women.