ISC2 study highlights gender perception disparity in cybersecurity

Women in the cybersecurity workforce were more significantly likely than men to identify work-life balance, caregiving responsibilities, and pay inequities as barriers to women's career advancement in the field, reports HR Dive.

Thirty-four percent of women expressed that inequities in pay or promotion have hindered their ascent in the field, compared with only 19% of men who viewed the same, according to a global study from ISC2. Moreover, 42% of men reported having either no awareness or experience of significant challenges for women in the field, compared with 17% of female respondents. Perceptions of representation also varied, with 21% of respondents estimating their cybersecurity teams had 10% or fewer women and 14% reporting teams with no women at all, while 22% said their teams included between 31% and 50% women and 2% reported gender parity or a majority of women.

Despite the gender gap, 75% of participants said cybersecurity was "a welcoming career path for women," with women's job satisfaction rising from 67% to 71% year-over-year. However, 35% cited a lack of leadership opportunities as one of their biggest obstacles.