Gender diversity in cybersecurity is slowly improving, but inequalities continue; A new report finds that the field has 5% more women than in 2023, but are more exposed to other labor challenges than male counterparts. About 32% of surveyed women said their organizations experienced security layoffs during the last year compared to only 23% of male respondents.
For the month of the history of women in this March, ISC2 deepened in the data collected for its study of Cybersecurity work force 2024. The Certification and Training Organization surveyed 15,852 people responsible for cybersecurity in workplaces worldwide, of which 14% were women. In 2024, women represented 22% of global security equipment on average, compared to 17% in 2023, with the USA. UU. A little below the average representation in 19.2%.
But 16% of respondents said that their company's security team does not contain women at all, and only 5% claim to have an even division of men and women. Women used in cybersecurity roles tend to maintain seniority, since 55% of women surveyed said they are in management or higher positions and 53% can make hiring decisions. Only 7% are in CTO and Ciso positions, but there are less of these available roles.
See: Women in Technology: Steps Leaders can take to improve retention and professional opportunities
Women disproportionately exposed to challenges in the workplace
The report found that 67% of women in cybersecurity are satisfied with their work, compared to 66% of men. While this figure is high for both sexes, marks a continuous decline trend. In 2022, 82% of women and 73% of men reported job satisfaction, and 76% and 70% respectively in 2023. Analysts impede this tendency to the growing “economic and workload pressures.”
There is a well -documented talent shortage in the industry that leads staff with excess work, but ISC2 data suggests that women are more exposed to other challenges in the workplace than their male counterparts. In addition to the disparity between women and men who experienced security dismissals during the last year, 40% of surveyed women experienced cybersecurity budget cuts and 42% experienced hiring freezing, compared to 36% and 37% of men, respectively. Only 31% of men in cybersecurity indicated that their teams had frozen promotions and salary increases compared to 36% of women.
“The data show that organizations where female participants work have experienced cyber security cuts at higher rates than male participants,” ISC2 analysts said.
