‘We’ve Had To Roll An Immense Boulder’: CISO’s Thoughts On Women In Security

When two information security minds enter the same room, you know there’s going to be a plethora of topics to discuss.

In the Jan. 29 episode of “Task Force 7 Radio,” hosted by George Rettas, the conversation took a different approach. The show’s guest, Dr. Rebecca Wynn, touched upon critical cyber security topics – some of which included the talent crisis, a pay gap, gender bias and the evolving workplace.

Rettas questioned Wynn about the industry’s glass ceiling.

Wynn, who’s the head of information security for Matrix Medical Network, was also named the 2017 Cyber Security Professional of the Year – an honor sponsored by the Cyber Security Excellence Awards.

On how technology careers have progressed, with respect to women, Wynn stated that there is a “massive gender gap in the industry.” She cited statistics from the National Center for Women and Information Technology in saying that by 2024, there will be a projected 1.1 million computer-related jobs out there. “Forty-five percent of the jobs will be filled in the U.S.,” Wynn continued. She also stated that in 2016, 26% of the computing workforce was comprised of women – and less than 10% were women of color.

What’s more, Wynn said that males hold three out of four jobs in the technology field. Women in the space, Wynn said, come in at about 10-14%. In her belief, that number is lower, at 8-11%. She said that the majority of women in the tech space are in quality assurance, followed by programmers.

The reason for this current state of affairs, Wynn said, is due to a “bias toward women as being thought of as non-technical.”

“(We’ve) had to roll an immense boulder up the mountain again and again to (be) where we are today,” Wynn said on climbing the ladder in the IT space.

See Related: Cyber Feminist: Enterprise Security 'Needs More Diversity'

The information security practitioner pointed out another peculiar aspect of the job-hiring process as well. She said that generally there is a prevailing sort of insensitivity in the workplace, and a glass ceiling, but also, women do not apply to positions unless they feel they boast at least 80% of the desired qualifications.

“Men on the other hand, go for it,” she added. “They apply for anything.” She pinned a part of this blame on the women, saying that it’s on them to apply themselves more.

The persistent gender gap could also be due to a lack of “great women role models,” Wynn said. She outlined her process of joining the professional networking site LinkedIn to try and give women in technology more of a voice.

She said a part of a role model’s job is to shed light on success, and overcoming obstacles – to show that women aren’t “on an island getting over all of these hurdles.”

Much of her advice, however, is applicable across genders.

See Related: Week In The Life: Rebecca Wynn, CISO, Matrix Medical Network

The active security professional said she’d like to see more female success stories, as well as more women profiled in Hollywood. “Why are all cyber geniuses portrayed as men?” Wynn asked. “(Women must have more) movie and TV parts. We need to advertise strong women in the workforce – and stop (the) hostile work environment.”

The gap doesn’t only exist in Hollywood portrayals, however, as Wynn said that women generally earn 73 cents to every dollar a man earns. She said that according to Narrow the Gapp, that’s $333 per paycheck, or over $17,000 per year. Women in computing and mathematical occupations, she added, earn 84 cents to every dollar a man earns.

“What I’ve seen personally in my career,” Wynn stated, “(is that) I consistently earn 15-25% less than the men…(who have) less knowledge and less background.” She called this trend “very frustrating,” but did not pull any punches with regard to hiring managers.

She said that these decision makers often won’t negotiate at all with female candidates or employees, and oftentimes, may even know that they’re undercutting women. Their supposed defense: that there’s not much that can be done about it.

Altogether, the information security practitioner said that women “overcome greater adversity, gender bias and base prejudice to achieve similar professional success as their male counterparts.”

Both technical skills and soft skills develop over time, she added, and are both attributes of qualified men and women.

Still, Wynn said that in her experience, when she’s had to report to human relations or a senior female executive, they have “not been supportive.”

“It’s nauseating when that happens,” Wynn said. “In my experience, women have not been very good at supporting other women…”

In terms of the perceived “free pass” that men earn in the space, Wynn said that it’s “very sad, frustrating and unfair.”

“But, I’m glad these other industries are speaking up and taking action,” she continued. “So maybe one day corporate America will change (too).”

The “Task Force 7” Radio recap is a weekly feature on the Cyber Security Hub.

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