New Tech Horizon: Influence of Women in Security and Privacy

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” These words came from the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg back in 2009, but they are still valid today.

Women make up half of the population and offer unique skills and perspectives that should not be overlooked. The privacy profession is one of the rare sectors in which men and women are playing on a relatively even field. It is a breath of fresh air when I arrive at a privacy conference and see a 50-50 distribution of men and women. Ten years ago, this was not the case when I attended any legal sector conference; it would be a sea of men in dark suits.

According to the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the privacy profession is nearly evenly split of men-to-women, and women are also equally represented in management levels. An even more interesting fact, especially for women who want to ensure they have a career path within their industry, is that there are currently more female chief privacy officers (CPOs) than their male counterparts. While the privacy profession continues to nurture an atmosphere of opportunity for men and women, adjacent sectors need to catch up, especially security.

Related:The Tech Diversity Charade

Security, like many other areas of tech, remains male dominated. As of 2022, only 25% of cybersecurity professionals globally were female, according to CyberCrime Magazine, and the figure is expected to increase to only 30% by 2025.

In the tech industry, privacy professionals play a crucial role in advocating for women’s inclusion, particularly in the cybersecurity sector. By empowering women to have a seat at the table, we have the potential to enrich the industry with unique perspectives, talents, and skills, and to strengthen the collaboration between adjacent sectors such as privacy and cybersecurity. As a privacy professional, I would be thrilled to see more women in cybersecurity leadership positions, such as chief information security officers (CISO), as privacy and security often work so closely together. It is important to have a female perspective and contributor in every level and area of a business, and I look forward to the day when a company having an average 50-50 split on their executive leadership team is the norm and not the exception. The cherry on top would be a female CPO and CISO!

Here are my best tips for women to keep raising the bar and working toward a more gender-equal world across privacy and security:

For Managers and Leaders

Related:Quick Study: The Evolving Roles of CIOs and IT Leaders

For Candidates

Keep going! Change will not happen overnight, but as long as we keep raising the bar and breaking the bias, we will keep moving forward. Research shows that greater gender equality contributes to wider economic benefits, increased productivity and, oftentimes, revenue, and improved problem-solving (Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Scientific American). For security and privacy professionals, ensuring diversity of thought and expertise empowers and prepares teams to better combat the ever-growing list of threats and challenges. It is our duty to bridge this gap for a better future for our industries and the future of the next generation.