As
women,
many
of
us
seem
to
be
drawn
to
the
‘true
crime’
genre
of
media
–
books,
podcasts,
documentaries,
films,
and
more.
According
to
a
University
of
Illinois
study,
70%
of
reviews
of
true
crime
books
on
Amazon
are
by
women.
Similarly,
Michael
Boudet,
host
of
popular
true-crime
podcast
Sword
and
Scale,
notes
that
70%
of
his
fans
are
women
between
the
ages
of
25-45.
It
appears
that
a
large
proportion
of
women
take
more
than
a
passing
interest
in
mysterious
and
unsolved
crimes
and,
more
importantly,
in
the
who,
why,
and
how
of
these
crimes
–
the
same
questions
that
cybersecurity
professionals
try
to
answer
in
their
efforts
against
cybercrime.
Both
true
crime
enthusiasts
and
cybersecurity
professionals
often
engage
in
activities
that
require
analysing
complex
information,
identifying
patterns,
and
solving
puzzles.
Women
who
are
passionate
about
true
crime
may
find
the
challenge
and
intrigue
of
cybersecurity
appealing
and
may
excel
in
roles
that
require
attention
to
detail
and
creative
problem-solving.
This
got
me
thinking
recently
–
could
this
hint
at
an
untapped
pool
of
potential
practitioners
who
combat
cybercrime?
Women
in
Cyber:
The
Current
State
of
Play
The
latest
statistics
on
women’s
participation
in
the
field
of
cybersecurity
paints
a
concerning
picture.
A
report
by
CyberSecurity
Ventures
reveals
that
women
held
only
25%
of
cybersecurity
positions
globally
in
2022.
The
discrepancy
is
even
more
acute
in
APAC,
where
women
represent
less
than
10%
of
the
cybersecurity
workforce
–
a
gap
that
continues
to
contribute
to
a
dearth
of
valuable
gendered
perspectives
that
inform
cybersecurity.
The
question
arises:
why
is
there
such
a
significant
lack
of
female
representation
in
the
cybersecurity
industry?
There
has
been
a
surge
in
the
popularity
of
college
majors
such
as
Computer
Science,
and
positive
steps
to
encourage
female
enrolment
through
initiatives
such
as
Girls
Who
Code
have
helped
encourage
more
women
to
enter
the
cyber
industry.
However,
differences
in
gender
representation
in
STEM
fields
remain
very
pronounced
–
with
women
making
up
only
16%
of
bachelor’s
degree
recipients
in
computer
and
information
sciences,
21%
of
bachelor’s
degree
recipients
in
engineering
and
engineering
technology,
and
38%
of
bachelor’s
degree
recipients
in
physical
sciences.
This
underrepresentation
could
be
attributed
to
the
absence
of
female
role
models
in
STEM
or
even
the
widespread
perception
that
fields
such
as
cybersecurity
are
male-dominated,
discouraging
female
graduates
from
pursuing
careers
in
this
area.
Further,
the
cybersecurity
and
tech
industries
are
not
exempt
from
The
Motherhood
Penalty.
Many
employers
still
have
the
belief
that
women
will
be
less
committed
to
their
work
after
taking
maternity
leave
and
hesitate
to
promote
them
to
higher
positions
as
a
result.
Furthermore,
the
responsibilities
of
childrearing
often
have
a
proportionally
larger
impact
on
mothers
than
on
fathers,
which
can
further
impact
their
careers.
With
their
fair
share
of
motherhood
and
work
responsibilities
to
handle,
many
women
often
hesitate
to
join
companies
that
do
not
have
adequate
flexible
work
arrangements
in
place
for
their
employees.
According
to
a
CNBC
article,
this
lack
of
flexibility
is
causing
businesses
and
companies
to
miss
out
on
70%
of
job-seekers,
including
those
seeking
jobs
in
the
tech
industry.
Women
have
the
potential
to
thrive
and
contribute
to
the
cybersecurity
industry.
In
such
a
male-dominated
industry,
they
bring
diverse
perspectives
and
problem-solving
skills
to
the
table.
This
is
crucial
in
a
field
that
requires
both
creativity
and
innovation
to
stay
ahead
of
ever-evolving
cyber
threats.
Recent
research
shows
that
diversity
enables
greater
innovation
in
the
workplace
–
according
to
the
World
Economic
Forum,
companies
with
above-average
diversity
scores
drive
45%
of
average
revenue
from
innovation,
while
companies
with
below-average
diversity
scores
drive
only
26%.
As
such,
cultivating
a
diverse
workplace
increases
the
potential
to
drive
greater
innovation
in
cybersecurity,
enabling
companies
to
handle
cyber
threats
with
greater
efficiency
to
“out-innovate”
cyber
attackers.
Most
importantly,
we
need
more
women
in
cybersecurity
to
serve
as
role
models
for
future
generations
of
girls
and
women
in
tech.
The
assumption
that
cybersecurity
–
and
tech
in
general
–
is
a
male-dominated
field
needs
to
be
challenged
in
order
to
give
women
a
chance
to
grow
and
develop
in
this
interesting
and
ever-changing
industry.
Driving
Systemic,
Industry-Wide
Change
Equally
troubling
is
the
possibility
that
the
awareness
of
the
challenges
encountered
by
women
in
the
cybersecurity
industry
may
itself
have
a
discouraging
effect,
deterring
some
women
from
pursuing
careers
in
this
field.
Unfortunately,
this
likely
contributes
to
a
negative
feedback
loop
and
vicious
cycle
that
perpetuates
the
underrepresentation
of
women
not
only
in
cybersecurity
but
also
in
the
broader
tech
industry.
To
solve
this
problem,
we
need
to
create
incentives
that
make
it
easier
for
women
to
join
this
exciting
field
and
eliminate
the
barriers
that
are
stopping
them.
Organisations
such
as
FS-ISAC
offer
scholarships
for
women
pursuing
careers
in
cybersecurity
with
its
Women
in
Cyber
Scholarship
Program.
Internships
or
apprenticeships
involving
rotations
among
different
departments
in
a
company
can
also
help
enable
women
who
are
starting
out
in
the
tech
industry
to
find
their
ideal
career
path.
To
promote
a
sense
of
community
and
belonging
among
women
in
the
cybersecurity
industry,
companies
should
offer
mentorship
and
networking
opportunities.
These
events
allow
women
to
connect
and
support
one
another,
ensuring
that
their
voices
are
heard
and
that
they
feel
visible
within
the
company.
As
previously
mentioned,
Flexible
Work
Arrangements
(FWAs)
are
vital
for
women,
particularly
mothers,
to
balance
their
caregiving
responsibilities
while
focusing
on
their
careers.
In
this
era
of
hybrid
work,
FWAs
have
become
more
popular
among
companies.
However,
more
can
be
done
in
terms
of
childcare
benefits
for
both
men
and
women
in
order
to
promote
greater
work-life
balance
and
support
the
return
of
mothers
to
the
workforce.
For
example,
in
countries
like
Sweden,
improved
childcare
benefits
such
as
paid
parental
leave
and
childcare
subsidies
have
been
linked
to
a
significant
increase
in
women’s
future
annual
income.
A
study
conducted
in
Sweden
found
that
for
every
month
of
parental
leave
taken
by
the
father,
the
mother’s
annual
income
can
increase
by
7%.
Getting
more
women
to
work
in
cybersecurity
is
important
for
more
reasons
than
just
gender
equality.
It
can
also
help
address
the
growing
tech
talent
shortage,
particularly
in
cybersecurity.
As
more
industries
continue
to
digitise,
the
demand
for
skilled
cybersecurity
professionals
rises
accordingly.
However,
the
current
talent
pool
is
struggling
to
keep
up
with
that
demand,
resulting
in
a
shortage
of
qualified
professionals.
Indeed,
while
the
cybersecurity
workforce
in
APAC
in
2022
grew
15.6%
over
the
previous
year,
the
chasm
between
the
available
cybersecurity
workforce
and
the
number
of
professionals
needed
in
the
region
increased
by
52.4%
or
2.16
million
workers.
In
other
words,
the
number
of
cybersecurity
professionals
is
slowly
growing,
but
it
is
still
nowhere
near
enough
to
fill
the
gaps
that
already
exist.
This
problem
is
felt
most
in
APAC.
Studies
have
also
shown
that
diverse
teams
are
more
innovative,
creative,
and
effective
in
problem-solving.
By
getting
more
women
involved
in
cybersecurity,
we
can
make
it
a
more
diverse
and
inclusive
field
that
is
better
able
to
deal
with
the
growing
complexity
of
the
problems
it
faces.
Hence,
it’s
important
to
fix
the
problem
of
women’s
underrepresentation
in
cybersecurity
and
encourage
diversity
in
the
field
if
we
want
to
build
a
strong
talent
pool
for
the
future.
If
women’s
interest
in
true
crime
can
translate
to
a
passion
for
cybersecurity
to
scratch
that
same
itch,
then
we
should
look
towards
embracing
it.
Cybersecurity
professionals
work
to
protect
individuals
and
organisations
from
cyber
threats,
including
data
breaches,
hacking,
and
ransomware
attacks.
By
preventing
these
crimes,
cybersecurity
experts
play
a
crucial
role
in
creating
a
safer
digital
world.
Ultimately,
we
need
more
women
in
cybersecurity
precisely
because
of
the
unique
perspectives
and
skills
they
can
contribute
to
the
industry,
and
wider
representation
can
only
bring
greater
improvements
to
the
field.
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