The process of evening out gender inequality is slowly but surely gaining traction. Dozens of industries pledge to fight against discrimination and treat all employees equally. The reasons for this are apparent. Firstly, a diverse workforce offers more job positions and improves the culture of the workspace. And, after all, everyone should be able to reach for the stars, regardless of irrelevant attributes. 

When the workspace culture is improved, there is more room for productivity and profitability in each company. When it comes to the industry of cybersecurity, there are still many vacant job positions, especially for women who struggle to be recognized in this line of work. 

Cybersecurity industry in numbers

In 2017, unfortunately, only 14% of cybersecurity job positions were held by women in the US. When compared to the 48% of women working in the general workforce, the differences are clear and rather unfortunate. 

However, the situation is even more problematic in other regions. For instance, women held only 10% of cybersecurity positions in the Asia-Pacific region, 8% in Latin America, 7% in Europe, and 5% in the Middle east. These numbers illustrate the issue that continues to haunt the cybersecurity job market. 

However, more changes have yet to be made in this field to successfully close the visible gap between men and women when it comes to taking up job positions in cybersecurity. Let’s discuss the means for achieving this goal and other relevant factors in this area. 

Why is this issue still relevant? 

In today’s modern world, it seems ridiculous for prejudice and stigma to exist. However, the situation suggests that both of these factors still influence women’s careers. According to studies, the so-called intellectual jobs in science still frequently end up in the hands of men. 

Female students do tend to get higher marks and are more likely to graduate from universities. Despite this, prejudice is deeply held and can be observed both in adults and even children as young as 5. 

How can we narrow down the gap?

One promising initiative taken to narrow down the gender gap when working in cybersecurity could be scholarships for women who decide to go on this quest. The situations for women around the world might make it difficult for them to pursue a career in cybersecurity. 

Scholarships can get them closer to the job market they wish to belong to, regardless of whether they come from a low or high-income background. Provided with enough resources and a comfortable environment, women will do everything to prove that they belong to this line of work.

Cybersecurity isn’t the only field where we can witness such a gap. It’s also visible in IT, construction, programming, and more. Because of this inequality, we need a global initiative to raise awareness that women are equally suitable for these jobs, regardless of their background or stigma. 

Why do people care about cybersecurity and how to protect internet privacy?

Cybersecurity is an upcoming industry that people cannot go wrong with. If you choose to become a specialist in this field, you are very likely to see many postings. It is said that the talent crunch in the field will create 3.5 million unfilled jobs worldwide by 2021. After all, cybersecurity is becoming a major concern both for consumers and businesses. Thus, thousands of companies will need to get specialists that can provide the necessary consult. 

Already, the data breaches and malware threats reshape the industry as we know it. Consumers themselves no longer feel comfortable using outdated software or downloading unknown programs. Additionally, many of them see the undeniable relation between cybersecurity and digital privacy. 

After all, many businesses fail to protect their data. For instance, leaked passwords are exposed in plaintext form. It is one of the major mistakes a company can make: storing such data without proper hashing or encryption. Thus, thousands of people turn to companies or products that protect their data and assets. 

Furthermore, many consumers take matters into their hands. How? Well, by using privacy-focused tools like a Virtual Private Network. This tool encrypts users’ internet traffic and prevents data leaks. While it won’t protect information on your accounts, it will stop snoopers from intercepting your requests. As a result, your digital identity becomes all that more secure.  

As a cybersecurity specialist, you will need to learn all about the opportunities regarding this field. So, the sooner you meet them, the better!

What the future holds

Yes, the number of women who occupy positions in cybersecurity is indeed on the rise. However, the long process of completely removing the apparent gender gap is still a complicated task. At this point, we may ask ourselves the following question – what can we expect in the future?

There may be, but first, the opposing view on women and the misconception that they are not viable for taking up positions in cybersecurity has to be erased. For starters, we have to highlight numerous reasons why they should be feasible for such a job position.

The job is satisfactory, and the salaries are attractive, even though there are certain risks with cybersecurity. It is a responsible job for anyone, and you must be detail-oriented to judge everything accurately. We should eliminate all notions that the path for this career is linear, not diverse, and only reserved for men. The situation is quite the opposite. 

It’s our job to change that in the future and motivate women to join this industry in more significant numbers. Once again, we must first remove the gender gap and show that all women are worthy of doing jobs traditionally intended for men (e.g., cybersecurity). 

Conclusion 

As you have just witnessed, the gender gap in filling job positions in cybersecurity is obvious, but there is hope for the future. If we compare the percentage of women in these positions from 2013 and now, there is an evident increase.

Cybersecurity and caring for internet privacy are vital if you want to enjoy your digital life and become a professional in this field. You get to keep your data safe from exposure and ensure that your business’s server won’t get hacked.

Yes, being an employee in the cybersecurity field requires skills and knowledge, but whether you are suitable for this position depends entirely on your skillset.