Cyberattacks are rising in the Middle East. Why are there so few women in cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity companies should build an inclusive environment by addressing the gender pay gap and promoting various skill sets, experts say.

In 1977, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a professor of business management at Harvard Business School, published a study on minorities. Her conclusions reflected a clear correlation between the feminization of a company and its financial results. More recent studies confirm this and show that organizations with 35% or more gender diversity are more productive and successful than their peers. 

The cybersecurity industry ranks among the most important, rewarding, and in-demand professions. However, countries worldwide are struggling to find skilled cybersecurity professionals who can keep up with the rapid rate of digitization and the simultaneous growth of digital hazards.

In particular, women makeup over half of the worldwide workforce and only two out of 10 cybersecurity experts. What’s stopping women professionals to take these jobs?

 A number of factors can explain this gap, including industry perception and culture, societal and family constraints, barriers to entry due to limited digital and cyber literacy, wage gaps, lower earning potential at every level, missed or delayed promotions, and a lower earning potential overall.

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