Gender range in cyber safety is slowly however certainly enhancing, however inequalities proceed – a brand new report finds that the sector has 5% extra girls than in 2023, however that they’re extra uncovered to different challenges on the office than male counterparts. About 32% of feminine respondents mentioned their organizations had skilled safety over the previous yr, in comparison with simply 23% of male respondents.

For the Girls’s Historical past Month in March, ISC2 collected deeper into the info collected for his 2024 CyberSecurity Workforce Research. The certification and coaching group interviewed 15.852 people answerable for cyber safety at workplaces worldwide, 14% of whom had been girls. In 2024, girls accounted for a mean of twenty-two% of the worldwide safety groups, in comparison with 17% in 2023with the US barely beneath common on illustration at 19.2%.

However 16% of respondents mentioned that their security group didn’t include girls in any respect, and that solely 5% claimed to have a good cut up of women and men. Girls employed in cyber safety roles have a tendency to carry seniority, as 55% of feminine respondents mentioned they’re in administration or increased positions and 53% are in a position to make rental choices. Solely 7% are in C-suite positions equivalent to CTO and CISO, however fewer of those roles can be found.

See: Girls in Tech: Steps leaders can take to enhance retention and profession alternatives

Girls have out of proportion uncovered to office challenges

The report discovered that 67% of ladies in cyber safety are happy with their work, in comparison with 66% of males. Though this determine is excessive for each sexes, it’s an ongoing falling development. In 2022, 82% of ladies and 73% of males reported job satisfaction, and 76% and 70% in 2023 respectively. The analysts lowered this development to development ‘Financial and workload strain.’

There are well-documented expertise deficiencies within the trade that result in too many workers, however the ISC2 information signifies that ladies are extra uncovered to different office challenges than their male counterparts. Along with the inequality between men and women who’ve skilled safety over the previous yr, 40% of feminine respondents skilled the slicing of cyber safety and 42% skilled freezing energy, in comparison with 36% and 37% of males respectively. Solely 31% of males in cyber safety famous that their groups had frozen promotions and that it had will increase in comparison with 36% of ladies.

“The information exhibits that the organizations the place feminine members work have skilled the slicing of cyber safety at increased charges than male members,” the ISC2 analysts mentioned.