Tech leaders urge faster progress for women in cyber

Technology leaders are using International Women in Cyber Day to call for faster progress on female representation in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Senior executives from Smartsheet, F5 and Rubrik say structural barriers still limit women's participation, even as demand for cyber skills surges.

Smartsheet Chief Product Officer Pratima Arora said the rapid adoption of AI in security heightens the need for diverse voices in system design. In Australia, industry bodies report that women hold only a minority of technical roles despite government and private-sector efforts to expand the workforce.

"We're at a pivotal moment in cybersecurity: as we architect AI systems that will shape how people interact with technology for years to come, women need to be part of those decisions from the start. But in Australia, women make up just 20% (https://techcouncil.com.au/newsroom/leaky-pipeline-sees-women-mid-career-drop-out-of-highly-technical-roles-at-almost-twice-the-rate-of-men-or-never-make-it-there-at-all/) of the technical workforce, despite the growing demand for digital and cyber skills. For that to change, women first need to feel like they belong in the field. When I took my first computer science class, there were only three women out of 50 students, and for years I felt the need to prove my technological abilities, long before I understood how uneven that expectation was. That experience shapes how I think about AI and security today. The world isn't built by one kind of person, so the technology defending it shouldn't be either. Attackers don't think alike, so defenders can't either - diverse teams spot threats a single kind of thinking misses. Homogeneous teams build systems with homogeneous blind spots. Trust isn't something you bolt on after the system is built - by then, the decisions about data, access and governance are already made. Trust is architectural, and architecture reflects who designs it. That's why women and underrepresented groups need to be at the table from the start, not added in once things are already working for some and failing others," said Pratima Arora, Chief Product Officer, Smartsheet.

Industry research points to gradual gains, but the gap persists. Cybersecurity association ISC2 reports that women now represent 22 per cent of the global cybersecurity workforce, up from about 10 per cent in 2013.

F5 Regional Marketing Director, APCJ, Jade Meara said the data also shows a contrast between representation levels and the workplace experience reported by women already in the sector.

"I think it's worth looking at where the industry stands as a whole. ISC2's 2025 research (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.isc2.org_Insights_2025_03_Women-2DComprise-2D22-2Dpercent-2Dof-2Dthe-2DCybersecurity-2DWorkforce&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=DNWtkMqJmUoZK5S7FiVlkq8RjS66mIwTiXLA1LeXY6VX0SiBOlM5h3yn4eE4Sw2p&m=VhD-hbDTZY8AnES0iCL_hjqrlJh8AXZz9nIFybUhpqoHSsQHeMPbkYlIFb0qarLa&s=DQJgA55jcybgSdc3u4xE4Kn7bkeZnsBGyf_uKQBHoSM&e=) found that women make up 22 per cent of the cybersecurity workforce, which is no surprise. The same research found something less expected as well: women in cybersecurity report high levels of job satisfaction and workplace happiness, despite this gender gap.

"The satisfaction seems tied to how work has changed rather than representation itself. Hybrid and flexible working - which became standard during the pandemic - are cited as key drivers. Remote and flexible practices matter in particular for women. It's disappointing to see some employers scale these practices back post-pandemic, as it risks undoing progress that has directly benefitted women in the sector. However, on a more positive note, women's participation in cybersecurity has grown steadily since 2013, from around 10 per cent (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__cybersecurityventures.com_women-2Din-2Dcybersecurity-2D20-2Dpercent-2D2019_&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=DNWtkMqJmUoZK5S7FiVlkq8RjS66mIwTiXLA1LeXY6VX0SiBOlM5h3yn4eE4Sw2p&m=VhD-hbDTZY8AnES0iCL_hjqrlJh8AXZz9nIFybUhpqoHSsQHeMPbkYlIFb0qarLa&s=GZXozWwGseGNWRAN_AeBIOR0XJSzS2P6czmZq-Ob6KQ&e=) then to 22 per cent in 2025.

"Structural inclusion - getting more women into the sector, and cultural inclusion - making the sector a good place to work, are separate issues, and progress on the second seems to be running ahead of the first. If flexible work keeps making cybersecurity a more attractive career, it could help close the gap further as satisfied employees promote the sector to others.

"AI will be the next big test, and its impact will be harder to predict. It could automate repetitive tasks and create new entry points for people without traditional cybersecurity backgrounds. It could also widen the gap if automation-driven job cuts hit roles that women often occupy. Conversely, it could usher in a new era where advanced soft skills are in higher demand: empathy, collaboration, communication, user-centric design and diverse problem-solving perspectives, to name a few. Tracking this shift will matter as much as tracking representation itself," said Meara.

Australian data from the Australian Information Security Association highlights a parallel challenge. More than half of government agencies report critical skills shortages in cyber roles, heightening competition for talent and renewing focus on underrepresented groups.

Rubrik Regional Vice President A/NZ David Rajkovic said organisations must connect diversity efforts to the skills gap and the growing use of AI by threat actors.

"While it's important to celebrate events like International Women in Cyber Day, advancing equity in the industry needs to be championed every day. At Rubrik, we promote equity and inclusion across the organisation 365 days of the year with active mentorship, fair hiring practices and a culture that cultivates strong female leaders. Our Women at Rubrik (W@R) is just one example of how we're creating a more equitable workplace where everyone feels empowered to grow, thrive, speak and be heard. Across the globe, the cybersecurity industry faces a well-known talent shortage. In Australia, recent data (https://aisa.org.au/public/public/News_and_Media/Media-Releases/AISA%20Calls%20for%20Diversity%20to%20Protect%20the%20Nation.aspx) revealed that more than half of Australian government agencies are already experiencing critical cybersecurity skills shortages. No country is immune. As cyber attackers scale their operations through the use of AI, it is more important than ever to bolster the defenders' ranks," said David Rajkovic, Regional Vice President A/NZ, Rubrik.