CYBR 650 Week 6 – Women in IT Security

This week I had the privilege of attending the annual ICAN Women's Leadership Conference. The theme this year focused on women balancing work and life, which has been a decades-long struggle while we are still trying to break out of traditional gender roles.

Michael Kimmel, Professor of Sociology & Gender Studies at Stony Brook University, gave one of the most interesting key note presentations on the main stage: The Gendered Society. He stated, "Research by Catalyst and others has shown conclusively that the more gender-equal companies are, the better it is for workers, the happier their labor force is. They have lower job turnover. They have lower levels of attrition. They have an easier time recruiting. They have higher rates of retention, higher job satisfaction, higher rates of productivity."

What does this mean for cybersecurity? Kimmel pondered why there are so few women at the top of STEM careers. His theory is that due to the expectations placed on women within the home, many women are simply unable or unwilling to dedicate the time and effort it takes to advance in a male dominated field. The statistics for women in cybersecurity are staggering:

So what needs to be done to level the playing field? Please leave your comments below.

You can also watch one of Professor Kimmel's recent presentations at: https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_kimmel_why_gender_equality_is_good_for_everyone_men_included