According to a new study by ISC2, only 4% of cybersecurity teams have a majority of women, and 11% of them have no female representation.
“Where are the women” asked Patrick Juvet in the album “Paris by Night” in 1977. This question refers to various fields of activity that are still too masculine. This is the case in cyber security.
“It is very encouraging to see the progress young women are making in the field of cyber security, but it is not enough and more must be done. We must continue to build an inclusive culture that creates a sense of belonging that helps retain women in cybersecurity careers.”we read in a report published by ISC2, the world’s leading organization of cyber security experts.
This report is based on the results of an online survey conducted in collaboration with Forrester Research, among 14,865 cybersecurity professionals
(including 2400 women).
A difference of $5,400
Key finding: The global average shows that 23% of cybersecurity teams are women. ISC2 emphasizes that the no women work in the field of cyber security remained stable from year to year.
This study also finds that the women most engaged in cybersecurity work at organizations that invest time and resources in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, such as:
- competitive salary offer
- hosting mentoring programs
- establishing an inclusive culture that promotes opportunities for professional development.
Overall, 69% of women surveyed said DEI will continue to become more important to their security teams over the next five years, compared to 55% of men.
Of the 11% of participants who said there were no women on their security teams, half worked in the United States.
Regarding job titles, more than half (57%) women The participants in this survey hold official positions in the field of security, such as security consultant, security analyst, and security engineer.
43% have informal positions (eg IT manager, IT director, IT vice president). More men who participated in the research hold formal positions in the field of security (63%).
Discrimination
The ISC2 study also looked at the average cybersecurity salary in the United States, based on gender and ethnicity.
The average total salary for women participating in the ISC2 study in 2023 was $109,609, compared to $115,003 for men, a difference of $5,400.
These wage differences become more pronounced for American participants of color, with the average wage of men of color surveyed being $143,610, while the wage of women of color was $135,630, a difference of nearly $8,000.
Furthermore, a third of women believe that they are victims of discrimination in the workplace, compared to 19% of men. Overall, black or African women from Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland reported the highest levels of discrimination, with 53% feeling discriminated against, while white and black/American (United States) men reported the lowest levels (14% each ). .
According to ISC2, the profession needs to grow by nearly 75% to close the current cybersecurity workforce gap of 4 million people.