On the occasion of International Women in Cyberspace Day, celebrated on September 1, several leading voices in the cybersecurity sector have highlighted the need to promote inclusion and combat gender bias in the field.
They stress the importance of recognizing the remarkable skills that women bring to cybersecurity and the need for systemic change to ensure their success and advancement.
Lynn Dohm, Executive Director of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), highlighted the significant progress made in training and mentoring women in the cybersecurity sector. However, she noted that despite this progress, the proportion of women in the sector remains stagnant, estimated at between 20 and 25%. Dohm said: “Women bring exceptional skills and knowledge to cybersecurity, often outperforming their colleagues in all seven NICE categories and at all levels of experience. Unfortunately, women suffer from a significant lack of opportunities for advancement and the exclusion rate is higher than in most sectors.”
She stressed the urgent need to create inclusive environments that allow women to thrive and advance in cybersecurity roles. In particular, women often hit a career plateau six to ten years into their cybersecurity careers, despite excelling in a variety of critical areas such as communications and network security, cybersecurity training and awareness for employees, and leadership and management. Dohm urged the industry to use International Women in Cyber Day to highlight the challenges women face and foster a more diverse and inclusive environment.
Nicole Sundin, Chief Product Officer at Axio, echoed these sentiments and spoke about the tech industry’s responsibility to address gender equality, particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). “AI has been a significant accelerator and disruptor of the workforce over the past two years. However, these technologies present serious gender and racial inequities.” She urged women working in tech and cybersecurity to question the training models for AI systems and examine whether these tools disproportionately impact women’s jobs compared to men’s. Sundin also called attention to the persistent gender pay gap, emphasizing the need for transparency and advocacy within organizations.
Sundin also highlighted the crucial role of mentoring in achieving gender parity in leadership. She said, “Women in leadership positions have an obligation to mentor other women, guide them and listen to them when they encounter challenges, and help them advance in the workplace.” She also encouraged women to showcase their contributions and ensure they receive due recognition in collaborative environments.
Isabel Castillo, Cloud Security Analyst at Lastwall, shared her approach to overcoming gender bias in cybersecurity. She emphasized the importance of focusing on skills and knowledge rather than gender, saying, “What’s crucial, however, is visibility and representation in the industry. The underrepresentation of women in tech-related fields sends a subtle but powerful message about the place of women in these roles.”
Castillo called for an active celebration of women’s achievements in cybersecurity to change the dominant narrative and encourage diverse participation. She argued that changing these perceptions would benefit not only young women aspiring to join, but young men as well, by fostering an environment where all are encouraged to pursue careers in technology. “The future of cybersecurity depends on diverse perspectives, and that starts with changing the narrative about who can excel in this field,” she said.
These leaders’ insights highlight a shared vision for a more inclusive cybersecurity industry. They underscore the compelling need for systemic changes to support and advance women in cybersecurity roles, which will in turn enrich the field with a wealth of perspectives and innovative solutions.
