Two percent of women say cybersecurity is a welcoming career – Intelligent CISO
Two percent of women say cybersecurity is a welcoming career – Intelligent CISO
Publish Date: 2026-03-09 07:09:00
Source Domain: www.intelligentciso.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
ISC2, a leading nonprofit member organisation for cybersecurity professionals, has published its latest research examining the perceptions of women in the cybersecurity industry. The study gathered responses from more than 2,600 women who participated in the latest ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study (16% of the total 16,029 cybersecurity practitioners surveyed) and unveiled the challenges and opportunities that women face in the cybersecurity industry.
Key findings from the report include:
Seventy-two percent of women respondents describe cybersecurity as a welcoming career path for women in their country or region.
Average job satisfaction among women participants increased from 67% to 71% compared to last year.
Women were more likely than men to report that their organisations experienced security layoffs in the past 12 months (28% versus 23% men).
A third (34%) of women said pay or promotion inequity had prevented them from moving forward, compared to 19% of men.
Nearly half of women (45%) identified work-life balance or caregiving demands as the top challenge to staying and advancing in cybersecurity, compared to 29% of men.
Two in five men participants (42%) said they were unaware of any challenges or had not observed any significant barriers for women, a figure 2.5 times higher than what was reported by women participants (17%).
Women were more likely than men to say they have considered switching careers due to current market conditions (33% versus 27%).
Women (27%) were more likely than men (17%) to report having ‘significant’ knowledge of AI and Machine Learning.
Recognising International Women’s Month, ISC2 will host the 2026 Global 50×50 Women’s Summit on March 18 2026. The event will be held for a half-day virtual gathering dedicated to inspiring women in cybersecurity and their allies. At the heart of the event is the Global 50×50 initiative, a bold, long‑term initiative aiming to increase women’s representation in cybersecurity to 50% by the year 2050.
