No, I’m not referring to my office–although that statement might still hold true. I’m talking about the entire field of information security. Women make up a meager 11 percent of the IT security workforce, and a new study finds that the lack of female professionals is a contributing factor in the frequency of cyber security failures.
The study–sponsored by (ISC)2 and Symantec, and conducted by Frost & Sullivan–gathered information from 5,814 information security professionals regarding the obstacles and challenges facing the cybery security industry. It turns out that some of the skills and capabilities reportedly in desperately short supply in infosec, are also predominantly–if not uniquely–feminine traits.
The study notes that there are cultural, regional, industrial, and other gender biases that can come into play on a global scale. In order to analyze the impact women have on information security, the study limited the scope of the survey data to respondents from developed countries, employed in private industry (as opposed to a government agency), and from companies with 500 or more employees.
Based on those parameters, the study found the women in information security to be almost in parity with their male counterparts when it comes to experience, and compensation–and to actually lead men when it comes to education. Among roles designated as “Leaders” women and men have about the same average number of years of experience, and the same median salary. The average salary for women is about one percent lower than men, and a higher percentage of female leaders have some sort of college degree–bachelors, masters, or doctorate…
Read the full article at CSOOnline.com: What infosec needs is more of a woman’s touch.