​The Women in Data Science (WiDS) initiative aims to inspire and educate data scientists worldwide, regardless of gender, and to support women in the field. WiDS started as a one-day technical conference at Stanford in November 2015. Five years later, WiDS is a global movement that includes a number of worldwide initiatives:

• A conference with 150+ regional events worldwide in more than 60 countries, reaching 100,000 participants annually online and in person.
• A datathon, encouraging participants to hone their skills using a social impact challenge. 
• A podcast series, featuring data science leaders from around the world talking about their work, their journeys, and lessons learned along the way
• An education outreach program to encourage secondary school students to consider careers in data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and related fields.