Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry

The proportion of workers in the UK cybersecurity industry identifying as women has dropped to 16 percent, the lowest level since 2021. Gender diversity has long been an issue pervading the STEM fields, although in cybersecurity this is especially pronounced, both at senior leadership and education levels. This is despite evidence that girls regularly outperform boys in STEM subjects at UK schools when they do participate. Not only are there still fewer women students in cybersecurity courses than those opting for computer science, but the percentage of women in the senior workforce (6+ years of experience) drops further to 12 percent – a figure that has remained broadly consistent since records began. For context, the UK average across all industries for female-identifying workers is 48 percent. Across the digital workforce, as of last year’s data, the average is 30 percent. …