In last week’s article we discussed five diverse characters in television and film that didn’t necessarily fit Hollywood’s stereotype of what a data scientist looks and acts like. While many hacker and data analyst roles are portrayed by white actors and actresses who are nerdy and/or computer geniuses that’s not the case in everyday society. The data industry is made up of men and women of all different races, ethnicities, and sexualities, so today we are continuing to celebrate characters that don’t fit Hollywood’s typical mold.

Data scientists and programmers come in all different shapes, sizes, races, and genders. But if that’s true, why hasn’t Hollywood caught on yet? I don’t know about you but I’m sick of seeing programmers depicted as the twenty-something shy, nerdy guy whose a recluse or the quirky chick who can only be described as eccentric.

According to Kaggle, an online community for data scientists and machine learners; only 16% of women make up all data scientists. While there are no statistics to confirm, trends from other industries would indicate the percentage for women of color in the data field is even lower. I had the chance to speak to Sadie St. Lawrence, the CEO and founder of Women in Data to discuss women’s role in data and why it’s so crucial to minimize the gender gap in the industry.