Page 6 - Hullarious Magazine, Volume One - 2022

ELINA JOSEPH
Women in Tech (Cyber)
Today, when one thinks of the stereotypical image of a Tech worker, it is unlikely that it is that of a young woman. It also appears, unfortunately, that this view is one that is also shared by companies and governments the world over and, as a result, this has led to a serious global issue. The facts are simple, women are grossly underrepresented in the global tech and cyber workforce. Furthermore, many current studies show that there is a lack of talent in technology and cyber related jobs, and predictions show that globally a shortage of over 1.8 million cyber security professionals may occur if no further attention is directed at the topic. To overcome the potential risks, young female students and female professionals need to be taken more seriously and society must accept their valuable talent, capabilities and contributions in the field of technology and specifically Cyber.
What is the challenge?
Cyber and other technology focussed professions have a gender problem. Various global and local researches evidence the low representation of female students in technology focused subjects and professions, such as IT, Cyber and similar. The global Information Security Workforce Study 20201, one of the well-known international studies conducted annually to assess the size of the current cybersecurity workforce as well as the existing talent shortage, has shown that the actual percentage of women in the cybersecurity workplace is just 24%, with no major changes for three years. According to the study, the gender disparities are evident in every region. Alarmingly, Switzerland’s figures are even lower than the international average. A recent Swiss study2 revealed that in Switzerland only 18% of the professionals working in IT (including Cyber) are female and additionally the female student quota in IT focussed studies remains quite low. Predictions show that if no further, or minimum, attention is directed towards this issue, a global deficit of over 1.8 million cyber security professionals could occur.
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