International Women's Day

Butterfly Data
Written By Sara Boltman

What is International Women’s day (IWD)?

IWD has been celebrated on March the 8th every year since 1908, and we want to take this opportunity to raise awareness for women and the challenges or injustices we face everyday. We are analysing data year by year and observing an increase of female leaders/CEO’S which is breaking the everyday bias women can often experience. The official theme for International Women's Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias with the hope to promote the image of a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.

Do we still need to celebrate IWD? 

Yes! There is still a need to promote the day as the mission of reaching gender equality between men and women has not yet been achieved. Here are the facts:

  • There is still a gender pay gap - globally women earn an average 68% of what men earn for the same work. [1] The Office for National Statistics shows a slow decline as the gender pay in April 2021 was 7.9% down from 9% in April 2019. [2]

  • Female leaders are still lacking - around the world, just 26 women are serving as world leaders. [3] 

  • Violence against women and girls persists - 1 in 3 women experience this! [4]

  • Women still fall behind men in terms of education and healthcare - women’s health problems are dismissed by doctors or they are subjected to longer wait times than men. And it’s even worse for women of colour. [5]

In 2020, the UN reported that almost 90 per cent of people are prejudiced towards women globally. On IWD, women across the world come together to shine a light on these inequalities whilst also celebrating the achievements of women who have overcome these barriers[6].

Will you help break the bias?

Many individuals in the world believe IWD is all about degrading and putting men down - Butterfly Data strongly disagree with this statement. As the previous issues mentioned are ongoing we need to embrace this day, encourage open discussions, celebrate and recognise the achievements of women. Some people prefer to call IWD ‘Anti Sexism day’, ‘Civil Awareness Day’ or ‘Anti-Discrimination Day’.
Here are some ways [3] in which you can help raise awareness and celebrate International Women’s Day & #BreaktheBias;

  1. Dress in purple, green, and white ‒ the colors of International Women’s Day. According to the official IWD website, “Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope whilst White represents purity (albeit a controversial concept)”.

  2. Fundraise or donate to a female-focused charity, see suggestions here [7]

  3. Send compliments or kind words to your female friends and family.

  4. Read a feminist book, like ‘How to Be a Woman’, ‘White Fragility’, ‘Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other lies)’, ‘Everyday Sexism’, ‘More Than Enough’, or anything by the Author Maya Angelou.

  5. Curate and listen to an all-female Spotify playlist.

  6. Share how you #BreaktheBias on social media.

Here are some thoughts from the women working for Butterfly Data and why this well established SME works so well for us all even though we come from such varied backgrounds and walks of life..

Sara Boltman - Founder & Director

“When I originally founded the company back in 2003 I wanted the freedom to be flexible, to pick and choose interesting projects. Having studied Physics at Oxford I was used to being the only female in the room, but over the years that has really improved, especially in data science. Leading a team over COVID has been extremely challenging, but rewarding - we have become more resilient as an organisation, each of us has found a way to cope with remote work, kids doing schoolwork at home, family illness, and bereavement. We have supported each other through it all and still delivered incredible work for our customers. I’ve always said we are judged on our outputs, not our inputs, that matters more than ever now. I think that has created an environment where women can thrive in a way that wasn’t possible in a more traditional, office based 9-5 world.”

Lucy Wilson - Data Analyst

“As a military reservist, I am well aware of public perception of females in traditionally male workplaces. When I studied languages at university, I was disappointed that so many of my own family members expected me to go into teaching. Instead, I found myself challenged and excited in the world of data. When it comes to #breakingthebias, I’ve found that it’s not generally internally within my workplaces that I have been met with discrimination, but externally, where I’ve found that individuals are often surprised and intrigued at what I do. I love to tell people what I can do, as a woman, and inspire the new way of thinking. I will always challenge gender stereotypes. Butterfly Data is an employee-owned private company, and so I feel a responsibility to forge positive visibility of #womenintech.”

Sally Wrigley - Data Analyst

“Women in Tech are often a rarity and therefore to have a female boss in this sector that also runs a household is unique and inspirational. Butterfly Data is a family orientated company not only feeling like the staff are a family community but the understanding that everyone has when you are trying to juggle work and family life, the offering of flexible working patterns, and the trust that you will manage your time appropriately.   

You are treated by the way you conduct yourself not by your outward appearance along with being given the encouragement to develop yourself and the business. There is no separation in our company due to gender and each person is empowered to believe they can progress.”

Isobel Taylor - Consultant

“As of today, I have worked at Butterfly Data for one year. I joined last year as I was finishing my PhD (PhD group was 50/50 m/f) and have had various interesting challenges and opportunities. The atmosphere (whilst predominately virtual) is enthusiastic, light hearted, and has a great family culture. 

As part of my work with Butterfly, I am a Consultant for ACE (Accelerated Capability Environment), in a Tech Lead role as part of the core team working with the Vivace community on various topics (including NHS, wastewater, and policing).

The diversity of all of the teams, Butterfly Data, ACE and Vivace community teams that we work with and collaborate with goes towards what makes these great teams. Whilst men certainly outnumber women overall; these companies have women in various roles, including fantastic leaders. 

It has been rare to be the only woman in the (virtual) room over this last year. Tech, data, UX/UI, AI and robotics, are all great fields to be working in; I would advise these fields to any girl/woman choosing what to do in the future or as a change of profession.”

Rebecca Mumford - HR Administrator

“I have been employed by Butterfly Data for just under a year now. I started my career by obtaining a 1st in Business & Management at the University of Derby. Whilst studying I started my own business within the print finishing industry, shortly after becoming a mother of 2. Balancing work life and having a family can be difficult, being in and out of part time work and not being able to commit to full time hours made work life an ongoing issue. Thankfully, I came across a position within Butterfly Data where I now work remotely alongside an incredibly diverse, intelligent, and caring group of individuals. We encourage and support each other to take on new challenges and excel in our skills and knowledge base. I feel extremely lucky to have found my dream job so early in my career, I look forward to growing and developing for many years to come in team Butterfly!”

Sara Boltman
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