Anna Forrester
A survey Raytheon and the National Cyber Security Alliance jointly commissioned found that the gap between young adult men and women interested in cybersecurity careers has increased over the past year.
Raytheon said Monday the current cyber gender gap is five times more than in 2014 and presents a challenge to efforts that seek to build up the cyber workforce.
“There will be serious implications for the world’s security, safety and economic stability if we don’t figure out how to foster a cybersecurity workforce capable of protecting our information from increasingly harmful cyber threats,” said Jack Harrington, vice president of cybersecurity and special missions at Raytheon.
The company said the “Securing Our Future: Closing the Cyber Talent Gap” study pointed to growing curiosity among adults ages 18 to 26 about cyber careers, while it also cited limitations in education and networking opportunities as factors that hinder pursuit of those careers.
Of the nearly 4,000 respondents, Raytheon noted that 77 percent of women in the U.S. were not exposed to a potential cybersecurity career path in secondary school or high school, compared to 67 percent of men.
Globally, men also had the advantage in terms of their awareness of responsibilities in the cyber profession and the availability of cybersecurity programs and relevant computer classes offered in secondary school or high school.
Zogby Analytics fielded the Raytheon-NCSA survey from July 29 to Aug. 10, 2015.
