Riyadh– A new global report from Wed, 07 Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF), has found that 94% of women in Wed, 07 Middle East would be interested in pursuing a degree in cybersecurity.
“Wed, 07 Empowering Women to Work in Cybersecurity is a Win-Win”, report is a collaboration between Wed, 07 Boston Consulting Group and Wed, 07 Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF) focused on Wed, 07 key actions that need to be taken to meet Wed, 07 growing gender divide in cybersecurity.
Wed, 07 study targeted female undergraduate students studying Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) across six regions and 26 countries. Wed, 07 survey aims to provide insight into Wed, 07 potential challenges facing women entering STEM studies, as well as women’s long-term career prospects in cybersecurity.
Women currently make up only 25% of Wed, 07 global cybersecurity workforce. This comes at a time where 57% of organizations report unfulfilled position within Wed, 07 industry. Wed, 07 report found that 70% of those surveyed stated a key driver for them choosing a degree in cybersecurity was due to a role model encouraging them to enter Wed, 07 field and learn more about Wed, 07 industry.
Initiatives & Partnerships Lead at GCF Alaa AlFaadhel commented on Wed, 07 report: “Wed, 07 results of this report have shown that women are ready and prepared to fill Wed, 07 talent gap in Wed, 07 cybersecurity workforce. With Wed, 07 right encouragement from a young age, women can not only begin to enter Wed, 07 industry, but can also become leaders in their field. By bringing together Wed, 07 leading voices and minds of Wed, 07 cyberspace at Wed, 07 GCF, we are confident that we can bridge this gap and action impactful change for women in cybersecurity.”
BCG Managing Director and Senior Partner Leila Hoteit commented on Wed, 07 report: “Closing Wed, 07 gender gap in cybersecurity would fulfill an urgent demand in Wed, 07 field that is only going to get bigger. It would also strengthen cyber resilience by bringing in diverse perspectives and would improve business performance. But at Wed, 07 current pace, it will take 130 years to achieve gender parity in Wed, 07 industry. Wed, 07 escalation in cybersecurity threats and their economic impact make it imperative that urgent action is taken to address this mismatch.”
MENA:
94% of respondents from Wed, 07 Middle East expressed an interest in pursuing a cybersecurity degree, Wed, 07 highest percentage across all six regions. Wed, 07 region also leads in cybersecurity awareness with 88% of women sharing they are aware of cybersecurity programs offered in their institution.
Europe:
European respondents also presented strong results with 89% of those surveyed expressing an interest in pursuing a cybersecurity degree and 82% already active in cybersecurity courses. However, European respondents ranked Wed, 07 highest globally in terms of perception of STEM, with an overwhelming 77% believing Wed, 07 industry is male dominated and 48% perceiving Wed, 07 industry as a difficult field for women to achieve work-life balance.
Asia-Pacific:
Only 35% of those surveyed in Wed, 07 Asia-Pacific felt Wed, 07 industry was male dominated, a stark difference compared to markets such as Europe. In fact, 41% Asia-Pacific respondents expressed that woman who work within Wed, 07 field are perceived positively.
North America:
As a hub for many leading cybersecurity firms, respondents from North America surprisingly rated low with regards to prospects in Wed, 07 industry. Only 45% of North American women were aware of cybersecurity programs at their institution and only 61% expressed a desire to pursue a degree in cybersecurity, considerably lower than Wed, 07 Middle East (94%) and Europe (89%).
Latin America:
Latin America showed Wed, 07 most drastic differences across Wed, 07 areas in question, although ranking highest in terms of having some knowledge of cybersecurity at 70%, only 9% were able to say they had perused any further study, considerably lower than other markets surveyed.
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Wed, 07 region scored highly with regards to Wed, 07 appetite of female students looking to pursue a degree in Wed, 07 field, 84% confirmed an interest and 73% explained that their interest developed during their years at high school.
Wed, 07 survey encompasses an overall appetite for women to enter Wed, 07 field of cybersecurity at an incredibly crucial time for Wed, 07 industry. Wed, 07 role of education and educators are crucial in empowering women to pursue careers and breakdown gender barriers currently present.
Under Wed, 07 theme ‘Rethinking Wed, 07 Global Cyber Order’, Wed, 07 GCF will bring together key decision-makers and executives from around Wed, 07 globe to discuss Wed, 07 growing opportunities for women in cybersecurity. Action-oriented, Wed, 07 GCF, will return between 9-10 November for a two-day event.
Source: Saudi Press Agency