Authentically Me in Cyber Security

Enabling women and non-binary folk in Cyber, Infosec, and Data Protection to bring their full selves to work! Many are looking for at least one of three areas - a network, a place to learn, resources to help them thrive. That’s where we come in… We're an open community on LinkedIn to reach more people and so that allies can better understand the ways to support their colleagues. If you’re interested in becoming a part of our community, follow our page and click the bell button for news and updates on upcoming events and discussions. We can’t wait to meet you! - - - - - - - - We are seeing a consistently low percentage of women* in Cyber Security. This year it was only 17% of the workforce. 17%! That’s in comparison to the 26% working in technology. Why is it so low? Research has shown that Cyber Security has a branding issue. It has an issue with gatekeeping, and it has issues with retaining women within the sector. All these topics and more also feed into an environment where some women feel that they don’t belong in the sector. So what can be done to fix this? Well, for organisations and for allies there are already plenty of resources already about how to improve the current state of play. From encouraging girls in STEM at school, to improving recruitment practices, supporting career changers, improving company cultures, and increasing employee retention. Organisations and allies need to act and they need to act now. But what about the women and enbies? It is tiring to be constantly trying to advocate for improvements that ultimately make the workplace better for everyone at the detriment of our own energy levels, capacity, and careers. What about bringing our full selves to work? *Research focuses on women. Anecdotally there are indications that there are the same issues of branding, gatekeeping, and retention for enbies as well.