#HallofShame | Boston Data Festival Improves, But Not Nearly Enough
GenderAvenger started tracking Boston Data Festival 2016 in early August when their speaker list consisted of only 3 women (9.7% of overall presenters). A day before the event, they have now reached 13 women speakers. While this is a vast improvement from the original 3 women that GenderAvenger reported a month ago, 20% women speakers is still nothing to brag about for a conference that claims to “highlight the diversity of people, start-ups, and companies dedicated to this domain.” It just goes to show that playing catch up doesn’t work. Gender balance has to be deliberate and a part of the planning process for conferences and events from the very beginning.
Your work to improve has not gone unnoticed, Boston Data Festival, but it’s work that should have been done when the conference was still in its planning stages. You cannot hope to talk about innovation in a sector without including those who are usually shut out of it. Boston Data Festival 2016 continues to remain in the Hall of Shame. We hope you’re not still there next year.
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The #ODSC speaker ratio reached 20% women before Boston Data Fest. Set a higher bar for 2017, @ODSC. #GenderAvenger http://www.genderavenger.com/blog/hallofshame-boston-data-festival-2016-doesnt-quite-make-it