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EDITOR’S QUESTION
TARA O’SULLIVAN, CMO
AT SKILLSOFT
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W
omen have long faced challenges
when entering jobs or careers
that are seen as being ‘for men’.
The technology industry – and cybersecurity
in particular – has a reputation as a boy’s
club and this can make it difficult for women
to make an impact in these organisations.
People tend to hire those they recognise
and identify with, and this unconscious bias
can foster damaging behaviours. Traditional
stereotypes negatively influence women all
the way through their careers, from education
right through to hiring and promotion.
White, middle-class males dominate the
industry. These are the men responsible for
the hiring, promotion and retention of women
in cybersecurity. But with women still making
up a tiny 10% of the cybersecurity workforce,
attention to diversity is still lacking.
And yet, companies in the top quartile for
racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more
likely to have financial returns above their
respective national industry medians.
www.intelligentcio.com
Additionally, a study from Bersin by Deloitte
showed that diverse companies had 2.3
times higher cash flow per employee than
non-diverse companies did.
We need a significant cultural overhaul.
A female having a career in cybersecurity
needs to become a social norm, not a rarity.
This starts in schools, where we need to
encourage girls to have the confidence to do
whatever they want, even if traditionally it
was seen as ‘boyish’.
Ultimately it starts with education – from
school to the boardroom. In school, coding
should be mandatory for everyone; complex
problem solving and critical thinking should
be part of everyday life. In the workplace,
training programmes can help people
understand conscious and unconscious bias;
both helping people to change the way they
think and call out unfair behaviour.
That’s not to say companies can’t take
action now. CEOs, executives and company
“
WE NEED A
SIGNIFICANT
CULTURAL
OVERHAUL.
leaders need to demonstrate their attitude
to diversity. Being outspoken on this creates
a culture and shows you stand for equality
in the workforce. Communicating this
throughout the whole organisation will ensure
the message sticks and will give women the
confidence to take on the roles they want.
Getting female talent into the industry is only
half the story. We need to make sure they
have the confidence and support to progress
through their own careers.
INTELLIGENTCIO
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