No Woman's Land: Gender Gap Persists in Cyber
Women make up just 11 percent of the cybersecurity work force and earn less money than men in the field, despite being better educated, new research shows.
Women comprise just 11 percent of the information security work force, and despite being more educated than men in the field, hold fewer senior-level positions and earn less money, new research shows. Female representation in the industry also has remained unchanged since 2013, according to the Center for Cyber Safety and Education’s Women in Cybersecurity report.
The report is based on data collected from more than 19,000 information security professionals in the center’s Global Information Security Workforce Study. Among the key findings is that women in cybersecurity bring more varied educational backgrounds to the table than men. They can contribute diverse skill sets to an industry that is experiencing a significant shortage of skilled professionals, particularly women.
Although 52 percent of millennial women have computer science degrees, the number of women in the field is stagnant, said Sam King, chief strategy officer for Veracode, a report sponsor. “If we continue on this track, we will be unable to secure the digital economy,” King said. “We need to examine why it is that the next generation of workers is not pursuing careers in cybersecurity, but especially women.”
Young women must be encouraged and shown that information security is a challenging, lucrative and exciting field, said David Shearer, CEO of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education and (ISC)2. “We must also promote women into leadership positions and pay them at levels that are equal to their male counterparts,” he said.
The report says 51 percent of women in the cybersecurity industry in North America and Latin America have experienced some form of discrimination, compared with 15 percent of men.
Combating gender inequality and preventing further decline in the labor pool calls for the cybersecurity industry to support and facilitate recruiting, retaining and promoting women, said Sloane Menkes, PricewaterhouseCoopers forensic services principal and Global Crisis Centre coordinator for Asia-Pacific Americas. “While there is significant demand for [highly] skilled workers, there is also a critical pipeline issue of women joining our cybersecurity work force,” Menkes said. “Cybersecurity leaders need to commit to reversing this trend, from our universities to our board rooms, before the issue is irreversible.”
Women who have better access to sponsorship and leadership programs report feeling valued in their roles and are more likely to be successful, the report says. Added Shamla Naidoo, global chief information security officer for IBM, a report sponsor: “The cybersecurity field is one that absolutely cannot afford to neglect the population of women and the many talents they offer. The security industry needs the best and brightest to remain ahead in the fight against cyber crime, and creating a work force with diversity of thought, gender and backgrounds is essential to this goal.”
Download the full Women in Cybersecurity report at www.iamcybersafe.org/gisws. The biennial report is part of the eighth Global Information Security Workforce Study.
