UK cyber industry dominated by men

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg

The UK's cybersecurity industry is still overwhelmingly dominated by men, LinkedIn data shows, with fewer than one in five roles occupied by a woman. In May 2024, women made up just 17.9% of the industry, while men accounted for 82.1%, according to LinkedIn's Economic Graph data. That's a slight improvement on the year before, as women occupied just 17.5% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2023. Cybersecurity is dominated by men due to a combination of historical, cultural and systematic factors, according to cybersecurity expert and LinkedIn Top Voice Jane Frankland. "Historically, cyber has been perceived as a male-oriented domain, leading to a lack of female role models and mentors for aspiring women," she tells LinkedIn News. These days, there are multiple female cyber role models across the UK and Europe, Frankland notes, pointing to Jessica Barker MBE PhD, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, Sian John MBE, Jenny Radcliffe - The People Hacker ??????, Lisa Forte, Becky Pinkard and Amanda Finch FCIIS. "This perception is often reinforced by educational environments that do not actively encourage or support women to pursue careers in computer science, which is often a gateway into cybersecurity." When McKinsey & Company looked at this they found that a significant drop in the percentage of women in STEM classes happens at two points: during the transition from secondary education to university, when it drops 18%, and during the transition from university to the workforce, when it drops another 15%. "Then, there are often unconscious biases in hiring practices and workplace cultures that can create unwelcoming or challenging conditions for women," Frankland adds. "For example, where women have to work harder, for longer and gain more certifications just to prove they have the competence to do the job." The cybersecurity gender gap isn't as large in some other countries. In Italy, for example, women occupied 26.7% of the nation's cybersecurity roles in May 2024, and in Singapore they made up 26.2%, according to LinkedIn data. Chart 1: Percentage of cybersecurity workers that are female Chart 2: Year-on-year percentage increase in the number of cybersecurity workers that are female EGRI research note: https://lnkd.in/geHWHaxg