In observance of International Women in Cyber Day on September 1, New Zealand’s cybersecurity leaders have emphasised the urgent need to promote inclusivity and address gender disparities within the cybersecurity field.
Executive director of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), Lynn Dohm, observed that despite progress in mentoring and training women for cybersecurity roles, the total percentage of women in the sector has remained at approximately 20% to 25%. She noted that women continue to face a lack of opportunities to advance and that the exclusion rate is higher compared to most industries.
Dohm encouraged the industry to put significant attention on the struggles women experience and create an avenue towards a more supportive environment.
She also commented that women contribute exceptional skills and knowledge to cybersecurity, often outperforming their peers across all levels of experience.
Meanwhile, chief product officer at Axio, Nicole Sundin, expressed similar views, emphasising the technology sector’s obligation to promote gender equity, especially in light of the growing influence of artificial intelligence.
“AI has been a significant workforce accelerator and disruptor in the last couple years. However, there are serious gender and racial inequalities present in these technologies,” Sundin said.
Mentorship has been recognised as a vital mechanism for advancing gender equality in leadership roles.
“Women in leadership have an obligation to mentor other women, guide and listen to problems, and help elevate them in the workforce,” Sundin noted.
Sundin also stressed the importance of women actively declaring their contributions and ensuring they receive proper recognition in collaborative projects.
Besides Dohm and Sundin, Lastwall cloud security analyst Isabel Castillo shared her sentiments in terms of overcoming gender bias, saying skills and expertise must be considered over gender.
She calls for a more proactive recognition of women’s contributions to cybersecurity to transform prevailing narratives and foster greater diversity in participation.
“The future of cybersecurity depends on diverse perspectives, and this begins with changing the narrative around who can excel in this field,” she said.
International Women in Cyber Day (IWCD), celebrated annually on September 1st, is a global initiative aimed at celebrating the contributions of women in the cybersecurity field. IWCD seeks to raise awareness about the challenges women face in this predominantly male-dominated industry while also inspiring more women to pursue careers in cybersecurity.