Women have been underrepresented (and underpaid) in the workforce for, as we know, far too long and have especially been a rare presence in the world of cybersecurity and information technology. The low representation of women in cybersecurity is directly related to the fact that they’re almost non-existent in other STEM-related professions. Whether it be science, technology, engineering or mathematics, women are pretty rare in all these fields. Women only make up about 30 percent of the mathematicians and engineers in this country. If you’re looking to hire fresh cyber personnel for your company (especially women), Cybint’s Cyber Talent Network is a wonderful resource.

It’s Important to Have All Points of View on Board in the Workplace

Not only is it important to support and encourage women to enter the cyber workforce as a means of supporting inclusivity and feminism, it is also extremely important because women have a lot of expertise to offer. A woman’s point of view is intrinsically different from that of a man’s and the world of cybersecurity desperately need that point of view in order to thrive.

So, why exactly are women not entering the cyber workforce as readily as men? Studies show that women are not typically presented with professional opportunities in fields associated with information technology. According to a survey of women who pursued non-IT careers, nearly 70 percent revealed that they were mostly unaware of any available opportunities in cybersecurity.

Women are Underrepresented in the Workforce, especially in STEM-related Professions

Organizations often fail to not only hire but to even recruit women into the IT workforce. While women make up about half of the general workforce in the United States, they only cover 14 percent of the professional cybersecurity clique (as of 2017). Of course, this is an even bigger problem outside of the United States. Only 5 percent of cybersecurity and information technology professionals in the Middle East are women. While this statistic is not all that surprising, it is still, nonetheless, unacceptable.

Women Notice Things That Men Do Not

Women tend to pay more attention to certain things rather than men, such as partner organizations’ qualifications, other personnel and, according to studies, are more robust at advocating for online training. Because men and women are inherently different, they are going to hone in on different aspects of the job and catch things that the other may have missed.

Having Women in the Field Would Help Boost the Cyber Industry

There are many IT roles that constantly need to be filled as this is an ever-growing field with a lot of turnover. Because of this, there’s a shortage in cyber professionals and, in order to be progressive as far as business and gender, it’s crucial to hire overlooked demographics. By hiring women, the cyber industry would thrive because, well, they need more qualified employees. Also, women, for example, are needed when it comes to female-targeted consumer products. Of course, a female cyber professional would inherently make more well-informed decisions about said products’ usability and cybersecurity.

Conclusion

In order to have gender equality and diversity, it’s extremely important to fill the gender gap and to recruit and hire more women within the cyber community. In order to have thriving cybersecurity and a successful organization, it’s crucial to hire a diverse group of people so, let’s start with women as they’re extremely underrepresented in the field. For more information on recruiting and hiring cyber talent, look no further than Cybint and their Cyber Talent Network.