Women have more cybersecurity presence, but they lose their jobs more easily than men

Women occupy more and more jobs related to cybersecuritybut this does not mean that inequalities in the sector are disappearing. According to study 2024 Cybersecury Workforce, from ISC2, last year there were 5% more women working in cybersecurity areas than in 2023, but are exposed to more difficulties in his job than his fellow men.

One of them is related to layoffs, since 32% of women who responded to the survey used to prepare the study pointed out that their companies had suffered from cybersecurity, which stood out only 23% of the men who answered the survey.

In total, 15,852 cybersecurity professionals answered the survey. All with positions of responsibility for the cybersecurity of the companies and entities in which they worked. Of these, 14% were women. In 2024, there were women in 22% of security equipment globally, compared to 17% in 2023.

16% of those who have answered the survey indicated that their company’s security team does not have women, and only 5% claim that the security equipment they have are composed of an equal number of men and women. Despite this, women who work in cybersecurity do so in positions of a certain high level.

55% of them occupy positions of management responsibility, or directly management. 53% can make decisions related to hiring. Of course, only 7% are in senior management positions, such as Cto or Ciso.

Women who work in cybersecurity are slightly more satisfied with their positions, according to ICS2: 67%, compared to 66% of men. But both data reflect a decrease in job satisfaction with respect to previous years notable. In 2022, 82% of women and 73% of men were satisfied with their work, and in 2023 they were 76% and 70% respectively. Apparently, analysts blame him for more and more pressures, both work and economic charge.

In addition, there is a shortage of talent in the sector, which leads to the members of the cybersecurity teams to have work overload. But according to the report data, women are more exposed to other problems in their jobs than men in the sector. In addition to the disparity between men and women in relation to dismissals in 2024, 40% of women experienced budget reductions in cybersecurity, and 42% Freezes of hiring, compared to 36% and 37% of men, respectively.

Only 31% of the men working in cybersecurity and answered the survey indicated that their teams had frozen promotions and salary increases, compared to 36% of women. That is, that The companies in which women work in cybersecurity have cut more in this area than those in which men work.