Proposal Description

Today, despite noticeable advancements in women statisticians’ involvement in statistical education, research, and science, their presence in top leadership roles in organizations is still limited. It is anticipated that embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will change the proportion of women in leadership positions. This is important because it will increase women's influence in organizations and society and grant them the respect and recognition they deserve.

The Invited Papers Session (IPS) gathers presenters providing five talks, a chair, and two discussants, eminent statisticians, scientists, and researchers from seven countries in different world regions. The IPS participants originate from various domains in the statistics profession, such as higher education and official statistics, and a variety of study fields, such as history of statistics, biostatistics, health statistics, economics, agricultural statistics, etc., and some have been serving as leaders of scientific and high education organizations as well as top leaders of national statistical offices and national statistical associations. The IPS reflects the achievements of young and more experienced researchers, inspiring inclusion in the statistical community.

The IPS comprises two sections.

The goal of the first section of the IPS is to encourage more women to pursue careers in statistics education, research, and science by presenting three biographies that highlight the outstanding accomplishments of three distinguished women statisticians and their groundbreaking contributions. Amanda L. Golbeck explores the career of Florence Nightingale David was a statistical pioneer who navigated the challenges of her time with purpose. This talk highlights David's contributions and the legacy of her work, including the establishment of the first lecture named after a woman at the Joint Statistics Meetings. Sayantee Jana discusses Nan Laird's significant contributions to biostatistics, focusing on her work with the EM algorithm and its impact on statistical inference, missing data, and statistical genetics. Laird’s accolades and her influence on modern statistical and machine-learning methodologies are emphasized. Shili Lin presents strategies for building a global pipeline of women statisticians and future leaders, inspired by the success of Florence Nightingale Day. This initiative aims to attract women and underrepresented groups to statistics and data science through international outreach and events.

There are two talks in the IPS's second section. Eva Laczka gives insights into the evolving roles of women in Hungarian agriculture statistics, illustrating the impact of economic and societal changes on women’s contributions and the methodologies of Hungarian official statistics to adapt to these shifts. Lastly, Milica Maricic looks at gender equality in the Serbian scientific community. She tracks changes in women's representation in various scientific fields and positions using official statistics sources, emphasizing both advancements and ongoing difficulties in STEM.

The IPS emphasizes DEI principles in empowering women's advancement in the statistics profession, which is crucial for the success of statistical organizations, and it advocates for initiatives that create an inclusive environment where every individual has the opportunity to succeed. The goal of the IPS is to foster an inclusive culture within the statistical community by providing equal opportunities for women to hold leadership positions and acknowledge their accomplishments.