the 2017 global information security workforce study ... · pdf filein the previous survey....

Presented by The Center for Cyber Safety and Education and Executive Womens Forum on Information Security, Risk Management & Privacy
The 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study: Women in Cybersecurity
A Frost & Sullivan White Paper

Frost & Sullivan
C O N T E N T S
Introduction Letter: Executive Womens Forum ....................................................................3
Introduction Letter: (ISC)2 and The Center for Cyber Safety and Education .........................4
Special Thanks ......................................................................................................................5
Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................6
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6
Workforce Composition ...............................................................................................6
Womens Representation in Organizations ...................................................................7
Womens Education Levels in Cybersecurity ................................................................10
Challenges in the Workplace .................................................................................................11
Underrepresentation .....................................................................................................11
The Wage Gap .............................................................................................................12
Disenfranchisement in Information Security .................................................................12
Challenges and Barriers in the Workplace .....................................................................15
In Conclusion ........................................................................................................................17
Key Takeaways .............................................................................................................18
Actionable Solutions to Engage, Develop, and Advance Women in Cybersecurity ........20

3All rights reserved 2017 Frost & Sullivan
INTRODUCTION LETTER: EXECUTIVE WOMENS FORUM

4 All rights reserved 2017 Frost & Sullivan
INTRODUCTION LETTER: (ISC)2 AND THE CENTER FOR CYBER SAFETY AND EDUCATION
311 Park Place Blvd., Suite 610, Clearwater, FL 33759 United States of America
p: +1.727.493.3587 l f: +1.727.489.2803
TheCenterforCyberSafetyandEducationand(ISC)areproudtobepartneringwiththeExecutiveWomensForumtotakethisuniquelookattheroleandstatusofwomeninthecybersecurityprofession.The2017GlobalInformationSecurityWorkforceStudy(GISWS)sponsoredby(ISC)andBoozAllenHamiltonwasconductedJune-September2016,andhad19,641respondentsfrom170countries,likelymakingitthelargeststudyofitskindeverconducted.SincethefirstGISWSreleasein2004,thestudygaugestheopinionsofinformationsecurityprofessionals,andprovidesdetailedinsightintoimportanttrendsandopportunitieswithintheinformationsecurityprofession.Itaimstoprovideaclearunderstandingofpayscales,skillsgaps,trainingrequirements,corporatehiringpractices,securitybudgets,careerprogressionandcorporateattitudestowardsinformationsecurity,thatisofusetocompanies,hiringmanagersandthemembersoftheprofession.TheWomeninCybersecurityreportfocusesontheuniqueattributes,aswellasthechallengesfacingwomeninthisindustry,including: Womencompriseonly11percentoftheinformationsecurityworkforce. Womenreportedhigherlevelsofeducationthanmen. Fifty-onepercentofwomensurveyedindicatedtheyhaveexperiencedvariousformsofdiscrimination.Iwouldliketothankourthoughtpartners,theExecutiveWomensForumandAltaAssociates,fortheirindispensablecontributiontotheauthorshipoftheWomeninCybersecurityreport.AndabigthankyoutoourpresentingsponsorPricewaterhouseCoopersLLC.WearealsogratefulforthesupportfromVeracode,Inc.andIBMSecurity.Thisreportwouldntbepossiblewithoutanyofourpartnersandsponsors.Togetherwearepleasedtopresentthe2017WomeninCybersecurityreport.IencourageyoutocheckbackregularlytoourwebsiteIAmCyberSafe.orgforupdatestothisreport,andtheotherreportsandanalysesthatwillbepublishedfromthe2017GISWS.Sincerely,
DavidShearer,CISSPChiefExecutiveOfficer(ISC)&TheCenterforCyberSafetyandEducation

SPECIAL THANKS
special thanksThis study was made possible by:
Co-Authors
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Sponsors

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe Global Information Security Workforce Study (GISWS), is conducted every two years by the Center
for Cyber Safety and Education and (ISC). The latest worldwide study was conducted from June 22 through
September 11, 2016. This online survey gauged the opinions of 19,641 information security professionals from
170 countries regarding trends and issues affecting their profession and careers. The Women in Cybersecurity
report is designed to capture expansive viewpoints and produce statistically significant findings about women in
the cybersecurity profession.
Key findings include:
Women are globally underrepresented in the cybersecurity profession at 11%, much lower than the representation of women in the overall global workforce.
Globally men are four times more likely to hold C- and executive-level positions, and nine times more likely to hold managerial positions than women.
51% of women report various forms of discrimination in the cybersecurity workforce
Women who feel valued in the workplace have also benefited from leadership development programs in greater numbers than women who feel undervalued.
In 2016 women in cybersecurity earned less than men at every level.
INTRODUCTION
Workforce Composition
Participation in the 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study increased 40.9% over participation levels
in the previous survey. Although participation in the survey increased substantially, the total number of women
employed globally in the cybersecurity profession stands at 11%, which is the same rate of participation as 20131.
Despite increased interest in the past four years to increase female participation in the profession worldwide,
the ratio of men to women, or the needle, has barely moved forward.
Examining the issue from a regional view point tells a slightly different, yet intriguing story. In North America,
women comprise 14% of the cybersecurity workforce, the highest regional concentration in the world.
Nevertheless, with the population balance of women to men for working age adults falling at essentially 50/502,
women remain under-represented in North America. For example, females in the United States comprised
48% of the workforce3. An examination of other regions of the world shows that female participation is smaller
than North America, which leads one to wonder if cultural issues, discrimination, access to education, or a
combination thereof are contributing factors. The 2017 study did not measure these variables and thus cannot
provide definitive answers.
1 https://iamcybersafe.org/research/historical-data/2 https://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/worldpop.php 3 https://qwiexplorer.ces.census.gov/static/explore.html#x=0&g=0

Exhibit #1: Male and Female Cybersecurity Workforce Composition, by Region
Source: 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study, (n=19,641)
What is clear is that enterprise and government efforts to attract and retain more women in the global
cybersecurity profession have not made a meaningful impact. The stagnation of womens participation in the
workforce is noteworthy because the workforce gap4 continues to grow. In fact, Frost & Sullivan projections
show that the gap between available qualified professionals and unfilled positions will widen to 1.8 million by
2022. Attracting women to the profession across all regions has the potential to shrink the workforce gap, but
only if they can be hired, trained, and retained in sufficient numbers.
Womens Representation in Organizations
Overall, men outnumber women by a margin of approximately nine to one. Nowhere is this trend more notable
than in the upper echelons of organizations, where men dominate all senior roles, including Directors, Executive
Management, and the C-Suite. Women disproportionately occupy entry-level and non-managerial positions.
4 https://iamcybersafe.org/research_millennials/
North America
Latin America Asia-Pacific
Europe
Africa
Middle East WOMENMEN
* Percentages include respondents who chose Other and Prefer not to identify.
10%9%8%
7% 5%
14%
https://iamcybersafe.org/research_millennials/

Exhibit #2: Gender Distribution of the Cybersecurity Workforce, by Organizational Positions Globally
Sou

the 2017 global information security workforce study ... · pdf filein the previous survey....

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