It’s no secret that the cyber security industry has a problem with gender inequality.
For many years, cyber security organisations and businesses have been male-dominated, and while things have improved in recent years, women only make up a quarter of the workforce. Worse yet, those that are cyber security professionals are earning less than three quarters than that of their male colleagues globally.
Fortunately, some of the more progressive cyber security employers are taking steps to address the gender gap, both in terms of pay and representation. Here’s what they’re doing:
Investing in initiatives
Innovative businesses recognise that a lot of cyber security potential goes untapped in the women whose passion and talent isn’t encouraged and supported.
As such, these businesses are trying to change this by hosting female-only coding camps, training programmes, hackathons and more, all to show young girls and women that they can have a lucrative and fulfilling career in the industry. In turn, the businesses get the opportunity to spot future talent for their operations and snap up that talent ahead of anyone else.
Mentorship programmes
Role models can play an enormous part in the positive development of women in cyber security – in particular when those mentors are high-achieving women themselves.
75% of women who stuck with their careers in technology felt they had positive role models. Businesses have recognised this fact, and in response, have started mentorship programmes that match up women in the early stages of their cyber security careers, with mentors who can help them navigate the male-dominated landscape.
Returnships
For women, wishing to have a family can often have an unfair negative effect on their career prospects. Maternity leave means a gap in a CV that can leave many having to accept lower paid positions thanks to the high rate of innovation in the cyber security field. In fact, research from PwC states that 3 out of 5 of women returning to work have to start at a lower paid position than when they left.
To counter this issue, some businesses are offering ‘returnships’. These are professional-grade positions that last a few months at least, giving an advanced wage and training opportunities to help get returning women up to speed with the industry developments. They’re an excellent way to bring new mothers back into the world of work without forcing them to start from the beginning again.
Pay audits
One of the simpler solutions for some businesses is to run a pay audit. This simple process sees a HR professional run through wage bills to assess payment levels and to ensure everyone is being paid the same for the same work performed.
Because of the male-focused nature of cyber security, women can lack the confidence to call out pay disparities – something which is reinforced by outdated office stereotypes of women in the workplace. A pay audit can identify these issues and rectify them, ensuring that all employees are paid at their experience level.
As it is International Women’s Day, now is the best time to look at business practices to spot potential places for improvement in your own organisation.
Find out more about the ways women are affected by gender bias in cyber security and how to rectify it with the Women in Cybersecurity report from the ISC.
CSP are proud to have an equal and diverse workforce that supports everyone no matter their age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability and more.