“I would say to women starting out in cyber to stop asking permission, and stop waiting for opportunities. If you want to transition internally ask how your employer can help you, not if they will permit you.”
Eliza May Austin, Ladies of London Hacking Society
It’s not a surprise that men still outnumber women in cybersecurity (by three to one) but today, more women are joining the field. Recent reports show that by 2022, there would be 1.8 million more cybersecurity jobs than people to fill them. So, if this isn’t the perfect time to hire more women in cybersecurity, then when is it?
Like all other industries, the cybersecurity field has made some progress with gender diversity in the past years. However, in 2019, women made up only 20% of the cybersecurity workforce. So, it’s more important than ever to be open when looking for candidates, pay more attention when writing your job requirements, and encourage women to go for stretch opportunities. But what else can you do to balance things out? In this article, we’re going to highlight some initiatives you can pursue to help women boost the industry and bring new perspectives.
Provide internships and mentorship
Mentors will help women progress through coaching, support, and guidance when needed. And the best way to set up mentorship programs is to offer internships. Providing cybersecurity internships for women (whether they’re a college or graduate student in the field and related areas—computer science, risk management, digital forensics, software engineering) is one trend for next year’s cybersecurity workforce.
Involve women in the recruitment process
Oftentimes, the challenges in cybersecurity for women start with recruitment. And unfortunately, there is a lack of female advocates and mentors, making it is easier for men to build a network where they can get promoted and be assigned the best projects. This creates a disadvantage for companies in many ways. To close the gap, senior-level women should be directly involved in the interviewing and recruiting processes of future employees. This is an important step to let applicants know that there are other women at the firm who work in this field, and they won’t be the only ones.
Close the pay gap
Multiple sources and studies have shown that the gender gap has barely shifted in two decades. Moreover, women operating “male” jobs still face a pay gap compared with their male counterparts, even though, according to (ISC)², women working in cybersecurity have higher levels of education than their male colleagues. Nevertheless, they still get paid lower salaries. So, ensure you compare salaries across the field and don’t pay women less than men for the same job.
Encourage lateral growth
Building a more diverse workforce will only have positive results, allowing you to bring multiple perspectives to your clients. So, it’s important to create development programs for your new hires to allow them to try different areas related to security in the company. This will also help them find out which areas they are most interested in and pursue their passions.
Market opportunities better
Governments, nonprofit organizations, trade associations, and the private sector could work together in creating public-private projects that would attract women to cybersecurity. But there are also other innovative ways to bring more women into your team, especially when it comes to marketing. For example, you could do free webinars that announce job opportunities and highlight the advantages of your diverse workplace. You could also create a podcast to invite women in the field to talk about their experiences, and also enhance your social media presence with more content about women working in cybersecurity.
Conclusion
There are multiple initiatives all around the world to support and promote women in cybersecurity, revolving around education, training, mentorship, and networking, and there are plenty of conferences and events happening annually.
Over the past years, studies have shown that women in cybersecurity are better educated than men. So, with women reaching top positions, you’ll have the benefits of a gender-balanced team. But perhaps, most importantly, you will change the status quo to improve perceptions while providing new growth opportunities.
