Login
iscover
Share this article on:
Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
Powered by MOMENTUMMEDIA
A new study from RMIT University has revealed why women are generally under-represented in the cyber security workforce.
Women only make up 17 per cent of the Australian cyber security workforce, and new research by RMIT University has shed light on why many women don’t even consider the sector, and those that do tend to leave it after four years at the coalface.
According to the research – commissioned by the Australian Women Security Network and based on interviews with women both currently employed in the sector and those who had left – lack of support following maternity leave was one of the key drivers, alongside being paid less than their male counterparts.
Many women also found gender-based barriers placed in the way of advancing their careers in cyber security and that many male-dominated workplaces expected women to conform to male culture. Bullying and harassment were also common in male-dominated workplaces, further driving women from the sector.
“This study is important to better understand the reasons why women have left the workforce, particularly those over the age of 40 years,” Jacqui Loustau, founder and executive director of ASWN, said in a statement.
“We wanted an academic study to understand how Australia compares to other countries and sectors in what they are doing to address this challenge and to ensure that AWSN and the cyber industry are working on all facets of changing the number of people from where it is now, 17 per cent, to increase this into the future.”
Professor Matt Warren, director of RMIT’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation and co-lead on the study, noted women were often placed into lower-paid clerical roles.
“Unsurprisingly, the study found women are over-represented in administrative and clerical roles, which are lower paid compared to technical and managerial roles,” Warren said.
“There is a 24/7 culture in cyber security. Job design and work commitments continue to make it difficult for women with domestic or child-rearing responsibilities to achieve work/life balance, which is both a barrier for entry and a reason women may leave the sector – although not the only one.”
However, despite the challenges, women were found to be largely against gender-based quotas, as it would likely paint them as diversity hires rather than capable of the work in their own right.
The report’s key recommendations include gender inclusivity training and programs to promote a career in cyber security among women and girls, even starting from a school-based level. The gender pay gap needs to be addressed, and retention rates and gender equality indicators need to be tracked across the sector and openly published.
“While many companies have existing initiatives to reduce gender disparities in cyber security, we found these could be scaled and adopted by more organisations,” Associate Professor Lena Wang, study co-lead, said.
“In particular, more work could be done around workplace culture and practices such as reducing gender pay gaps, improving gender inclusive culture, and redesigning jobs away from a 24/7 set-up. Recruitment enablers, such as increased disclosure of gender equity and gender-neutral language, would also help.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
Be the first to hear the latest developments in the cyber industry.
