When it comes to the cybersecurity job market, there is a pronounced disparity in representation and earnings between men and women.
Traditionally, the cybersecurity industry has been dominated by men, but recently there is an ever-growing perception that there is a demand for greater diversity and inclusion, particularly greater representation of women.
However, women are still underrepresented in cybersecurity, with recent studies showing that women make up only one quarter (24%) of the total workforce in this field. In general, this is even more pronounced in developing countries.
In the economies of the Western Balkans, inadequate participation of women in politics and decision-making, gender stereotypes and discrimination against women in the labour market are recognized by civil society organizations as critical issues of gender inequality.
According to the report of the Global Index of Gender Equality, Montenegro achieved 55 out of 100 points, which is a lower score than the EU average of 67.4.
The gap in the cybersecurity industry is estimated to widen further as an implication of the perceived job gap between the level of digital literacy between men and women.
The marginalization and underutilization of women’s competencies is a relevant business area that causes concern and is an obstacle to the creation of more stable and resilient economies. This disparity has negative implications not only for the lack of cybersecurity experts who are in short supply globally, but also affects the gender imbalance in other industries.
In addition, female Internet users are often more susceptible to certain forms of cybercrime, from cyberbullying to revenge pornography, blackmail with images/videos/letters, stalking – all the way to human trafficking.
