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What’s limiting women in tech? You’ve missed one big thing.

  • min read
    • There are few people of global renown from the small town I grew up in, in rural New Zealand. Arguably, there is only one – astronomer and cosmologist Beatrice Tinsley. Although she studied at the same high school as me – known locally as the top choice for academic girls – I was never told of her. Nor could I find any former school friends, or girls who study there today, who know her name. I only found out about her in 2016 thanks to the Google Doodle celebrating Beatrice Tinsley's 75th birthday. Her pioneering work on measuring distance in space, how stars age and the expansion of the universe has been called 'paradigm changing' by fellow astronomers. There are even a Mount Tinsley and a minor planet, Beatrice Tinsley. What does a missing mention mean? I don't know how to explain why Beatrice Tinsley's achievements never rated a mention when I was growing up, and appear not to rate one today, for young women treading the same ground she once did. In recent years, there's greater awareness of specific actions that alienate women in the workplace, like sexual harassment or colleagues displaying sexualized images of women. But reflecting on the lack of 'Beatrice Tinsleys' in my upbringing makes me wonder if we've missed something that could be at the heart of why women leave science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers in high numbers. Why do we even need more women in tech? When it comes to science and tech, the consequences of not appointing, promoting and retaining the best people should concern us all. Humankind is failing to innovate at the speed we could. It probably costs lives. There's also mounting evidence gender and racially diverse companies are more profitable. Recruiting and retaining more women in any career can mean a fairer work-life for men too. For reasons like the higher proportion of women who have unpaid care responsibilities, women are more affected (on average) by workplace policy or behavior that negatively affects everyone. For example, long hours culture, lack of flexible working for no good reason or when those who get promoted are those who go out drinking with colleagues. Where is the talent pipeline leaking? The supply of talented women isn't the main issue. UNESCO reports that globally, women now make up more than half of STEM undergraduate and Masters students. While there's clear evidence of gender bias in hiring, the career pipeline gets even leakier later. US data, for example, show after 12 years, 50 percent of women had left their STEM careers, but just 20 percent had left other careers. This means the biggest problem behind the smaller number of women in tech is in women's experience of work in tech. The Central Asian anomaly Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden consistently top the World Economic Forum's index of the world's most gender-equal countries. You might expect these countries would have the most women in non-stereotypically female careers, like STEM. But you'd be mistaken. UNESCO found that it's Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan), where we see the highest proportion of women in STEM, at 46 percent. The same report shows countries like Sri Lanka (37 percent), Turkey (36 percent) and Pakistan (27 percent) easily outshine the US, where just 20 percent of the STEM workforce are women. This anomaly is called the gender-equality paradox: Where gender equality is best, there are fewer women in tech. It's thought to be related to evidence that shows women and girls avoid pursuing careers they perceive as discriminatory. However, many countries with high numbers of women in tech have high levels of income insecurity, meaning women are under stronger economic pressure to choose a career that promises reliable earnings. This theory could explain why fewer women and girls might study STEM in countries with better income security, but it doesn't tell why so many leave the career. What makes or breaks a career in tech? India is one country with relatively high numbers of women in tech (one in every three people in IT in India are women). Looking to explain this, researchers have pointed to how many women in the Indian IT industry say their families strongly support their careers. Are they right to think this matters? It seems so. One study of gifted math and science students from the US Midwest found "social support contributed directly to men's and women's ability to envision themselves in a future science career, which, in turn, predicted their interest in and motivation for a science career." Another study of nearly 1,000 Chinese college graduates found links between graduates' levels of social support and their career adaptability. If a lack of social support for women's careers in science and tech is a factor in women leaving STEM careers, we'd expect to see differences in how much families and communities support men and women in STEM. The evidence is there when it comes to young people. Take this four-year Australian longitudinal study of school students and their parents. Researchers found that for students who wanted to go into STEM fields, more parents of sons than daughters wanted their child to attend university, and even when parents were supportive, "there was little evidence … girls were encouraged to pursue STEM." Parents know they have a bias – some 52 percent of parents and 57 percent of teachers admit to gender-stereotyped thinking about STEM careers according to research by Accenture. Although there doesn't appear to be any comprehensive research in this area yet, this gendered support difference probably extends into adult life. What can business leaders do? Knowing family and community support is crucial to keeping women in tech careers is useful if your young daughter talks about going into game design, but how can tech company business leaders use this knowledge to keep more women in their organization? 1.  Understand women and men want to work in tech for the same reasons Despite women in IT reporting more workplace isolation and bias than women in other sectors, they speak highly of the career and enjoy their work for similar reasons to their male colleagues. Kaspersky's 2018 survey of 5,000 IT professionals in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain found women and men gave similar top advantages for their career – excitement, good pay and opportunities to problem-solve. They described their career as 'collaborative,' 'stimulating' and 'helpful' in roughly equal numbers. 2.  Improve your workplace culture for all Williams, Phillips and Hall's 2015 research involving 557 US women in STEM identified five biases pushing women out of the STEM workplace. As well as common issues, like being assumed incompetent unless (constantly) proven otherwise, around one-third of women said they felt isolated and excluded at work. Business leaders have the power to control their workplace culture, but must be evidence-informed in their problem-solving. After-hours functions or work sports teams, for example, might add to an employee's feelings of isolation if they can't attend because of care responsibilities - which in many cultures will impact women more than men. The simplest things may make the most difference, like taking the time to ask about someone's day or using physical space to encourage more interaction. 3.  Offer gender, bias and sexual harassment prevention training Williams, Phillips and Hall's study found up to 4 in 5 women had experienced sexism in their tech careers. With a problem of that scale, you'd expect good awareness of sexism among men in tech. But a New Zealand survey of over a thousand small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in 2019 found men in tech thought women in tech faced far fewer barriers than women reported. They underestimated barriers women reported by a third to a half. Leaders can also act to improve awareness of sexism in their workplace. A 2015 study of around 1,000 men and women in several countries found a strong correlation between comprehensive gender, bias and sexual harassment prevention training and declining rates of discrimination and harassment in the workplace. How much do 'Beatrice Tinsleys' really matter? If you've ever gazed into the night sky and wondered whether it goes on forever, you now know it was Beatrice Tinsley who found the answer. Building the groundswell of support for women in science and tech starts at home, but further down the line, everyone can make a difference. Our focus should be on how women experience the workplace. Educating the workforce about gender bias and improving workplace culture could not only retain more women in tech but make business more profitable and make work life better for everyone.

Five women leading the way in cybersecurity

  • min read
    • As an industry, we still have a long way to go to achieve our balance: research indicates that globally, only 11 percent of people working in technical roles in cybersecurity are women. I met five women from Kaspersky to find out what has inspired them during their career journey and what we can do to encourage more girls and women to join our industry. Noushin Shabab – the researcher who's solving the puzzle of how to stop the next major cyberattack "Cybersecurity is the most exciting part of the technology industries. You're always one step ahead and I get to use the latest tech, so it's great if, like me, you're a fan of all the latest gadgets! My job is always evolving and changing as new products and new cyberthreats come into the world. Ekaterina is Security Analysis Group Manager for Kaspersky in Russia. "I was working as an application security analyst, finding software vulnerabilities for a mobile operator. I didn't like finding the same 'holes' day in, day out, so I decided to move into cybersecurity to work on 'security by design' solutions. "Security is for the people – to benefit the organization and its systems, and keep everything working. Critical infrastructure – things like electricity, water and gas that we can't live without – it's all vulnerable to cyberattacks. I'm making the infrastructure more reliable and resilient to attacks, keeping facilities safe and services available. "I'm motivated by the people and organizations who created the basic knowledge of computer security. Now I have the opportunity to meet the icons that I once gave lectures on when I worked at a university. I really admire Dorothy Denning, who in the 1980s created the basic model for intrusion detection." Ekaterina's advice… "The gender imbalance in the workforce is not unique to cybersecurity - all technology industries have this problem. Many women with a computing education don't use it. We need to start changing this at a young age. "I teach at my children's school and talk about how exciting cybersecurity is, and I once gave a lesson about programming to eight- and nine-year-old children. The results were very different due to the different ways boys and girls treated the same task: the boys were motivated and were trying to solve all the tasks at once. They got a great result and their certificate. The girls were also motivated, but in a different way – they went deeper into the topic and asked more questions, thinking more holistically. They got a great result too, but the girls' analytical approach is a better way to succeed." Catherine Oudot – the self-made woman who learned to talk tech to sell "I'm a self-made woman – with no MBA or master's degree, which is unusual in France. I've worked in technology sales roles for over 20 years but I'm not from a technical background. I gained technical knowledge 'in the field' by sharing with my customers and colleagues. "In my first company, I joined a new IT Identity team as a marketing assistant. I didn't know what a firewall or VPN was, but I was there at the start to grow and learn. My first task was to deliver a new partner program with a focus on lead generation. "When I told my manager I was worried that I wouldn't be able to deliver technical messages, she said, 'Don't put the brakes on your career! You have great communication skills, so just keep going.' She told me to move forward and become a sales manager. It was a kind of liberation! She saw my potential and gave me a chance. She coached me and helped me to grow. "My husband is my rock. We've been married for 23 years and he's always supported me through all my different roles. He understands when I want to change career because I'm curious and want to discover new things. In a sales role, it's not always easy because you're traveling so much for work. When my son was a baby, my husband often took care of him. We completely share family responsibilities." Catherine's advice… "Always be confident in yourself and believe in what you do. Don't put limits on things for yourself – test out what you're capable of. Talk to different people and take all the chances you have to meet good people, they can help you discover the next opportunity for your career." Irina Bock – the game-loving, data addict who's accelerating in digital sales "I'm a big fan of online MMORPG games like World of Warcraft. You can learn a lot of skills from gaming, like interacting with many people and working together on the same mission. You need to be logical, but also to understand how people may choose to behave. "Digital sales is like a game – there are elements of chance but it's mainly a lot of strategy. I love to see how my team can change the business of the company. When I see sales numbers growing, it's the best feeling – I'm addicted to targets! To be successful in digital sales, you need to love data. For me, it's like a drug: the more you dig deeper into the numbers, the more you want to continue with it." Irina's advice… "The equilibrium between genders should not be forced – it's just a natural change and the balance is improving. Women have so much to gain! We need more women in cybersecurity to enrich the industry with our characteristics – like being hard-working and committed to delivering great results. As a woman, you'll reach a level in your career when you understand that being who you are and doing what's right is more important than just saying 'yes' to please everyone. "Men and women should be equal – end of discussion. The best result will be when no woman feels that she has less pay or fewer opportunities than a man. That's a victory. But always focus first on you: ask yourself, 'How can I be a better version of myself and improve?'" How is Kaspersky furthering opportunities for women in cybersecurity? Kaspersky CyberStarts is a program in Europe which aims to tackle both the skills gap and the gender disparity that exists in the cybersecurity industry. The program talks directly to young women considering their career paths, giving them access to the tools and experience that they need to take their first step into the industry. Download our 2021 report Where are we now: Understanding the evolution of women in technology based on a survey of women working in IT and technology in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
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About Secure Futures

Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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