Cybersecurity has a gender gap perception problem, ISC2 says - HR Dive

DIVE BRIEF Cybersecurity has a gender gap perception problem, ISC2 says Women reported barriers to advancement as well as wage gaps and other challenges that men said they were “unaware of,” according to new research. Published March 11, 2026 Lara Ewen Contributor Share License Add us on Google The UK's National Cyber Security Centre's Annual Review is seen at the NCSC headquarters on Oct. 14, 2025 in London, England. Just over 40% of men surveyed by ISC2 said that they were “unaware of any challenges or had not observed any significant barriers for women." Peter Nicholls via Getty Images Listen to the article 3 min Dive Brief: In the cybersecurity workforce, 45% of women said that work-life balance and caregiving demands were the main barriers preventing women from staying and advancing in their field, while only 29% of men said they perceived as much happening to women, according to a new global study from ISC2, an international nonprofit cybersecurity association. Regarding perception around women’s wages, 34% of women participants said pay or promotion inequity had prevented them from moving forward, compared to just 19% of men who said they shared that perspective, per the survey. In addition, 42% of men participants said that they were “unaware of any challenges or had not observed any significant barriers for women,” which the survey noted was 2.5 times higher than the 17% of women participants who said the same. Dive Insight: The ISC2 research was published to coincide with Women’s History Month and explored trends shaping women’s experiences in the field of cybersecurity. Out of this year’s 16,029 global online respondents, 16% were women, per the report.  Meanwhile, a 2024 report from The Female Quotient and Deloitte Global found that women represent only 25% of the cybersecurity workforce despite ongoing growth in the profession and a heightened need for cybersecurity talent. Participants in ISC2’s survey were asked to estimate the percentage of women cybersecurity professionals working in their organization. Participant estimates reflected perception rather than actual representation, which can influence perspective on inclusion issues, per the report. “Just over a fifth (21%) of participants perceive their cybersecurity teams as having only 10% women or fewer,” the report said. “Furthermore, 14% reported that their cybersecurity teams contain no women at all. However, 22% said their cybersecurity teams have between 31-50% women, with a further 2% having gender parity, or are majority women.” Despite the gender disparity, 75% of all participants said cybersecurity was “a welcoming career path for women.” Job satisfaction among women participants increased from 67% to 71% year over year, although 35% of women surveyed identified a lack of leadership opportunities as one of their biggest barriers, per the report. Notably, 27% of women reported having significant knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning, compared to 17% of men.  A 2025 report from global talent firm Randstad found a gender gap between men and women in terms of AI skills, training, job access and overall pay, which stands to increase overall labor shortages if left unchecked. According to that report, 71% of workers who said they’re skilled in AI were men, compared to 29% who were women. Add us on Google Share PURCHASE LICENSING RIGHTS Filed Under: Talent, Diversity & Inclusion