Women make up only 10 percent of the IT security workforce

New research carried out by non-profit certification organization (ISC)² and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton highlights a lack of gender equality in IT security roles.

Based on a survey of almost 14,000 global professionals, the report looks at the differences between men and women in the industry, the current and future outlook for women in the information security field and the unique skills women possess to fill information security positions today and in the future.

While women have represented only 10 percent of the information security workforce for the past few years, analysis from the last two (ISC)² information security workforce surveys shows that women are quickly converging on men in terms of academic focus, computer science and engineering, and, as a gender, have a higher concentration of advanced degrees. Women in information security are making their largest impact in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) as one out of five women identified GRC as their primary functional responsibility compared to one out of eight men holding similar positions. The study identified GRC as a growing role in information assurance and cybersecurity.

"The information security field is expected to see a deficit of 1.5 million professionals by 2020 if we don't take proactive measures to close the gap," says (ISC)² CEO David Shearer. "Knowing this, it is rather frustrating to realize that we do not have more women working in the industry. Only 10 percent of information security professionals are women, and that needs to change. Through collaboration, research and partnerships, (ISC)² is committed to empowering under-represented minority groups in the industry, such as women, who bring skill sets that are critical to this industry’s future growth".

Among other key findings are that 58 percent of women have masters or doctorate degrees versus only 47 percent of men. In the GRC subgroup of respondents, women's average annual salary was 4.7 percent less than men. However, the study shows that men value monetary compensation slightly more than women who look for other incentives from their employers, such as flexible working.

Women are also more progressive in their views on training methods. Offering increased accessibility and wider diversity of information security training opportunities may prove to be increasingly valuable in retention and in elevating professionals' readiness to succeed in new roles.

The study is being released in conjunction with the (ISC)² Security Congress 2015 in California from September 28 to October 1, where there will be specific sessions discussing the issue of women in security. 

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