Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an important topic, especially in technology and engineering fields. Not only do diverse teams increase the potential for higher profit earnings, but they also make better business decisions. From a cybersecurity perspective, more diverse teams are less likely to suffer from the misperception of risk and thus build stronger systems and more robust controls.
And yet, despite all the efforts to promote a better gender balance within the fields of technical and engineering, there are now fewer women in these roles than there were five years ago. While the number of men in technical and engineering roles has increased by 14%, the number of women in these roles has contracted by 2%. Additionally, women are leaving leadership positions twice as fast as their male colleagues do, most commonly because of internal politics, lack of recognition, unsupportive working environments, and lack of diversity.
While it is easy to just say "hire more diversity," making a real difference takes a lot more than that. One issue: only 19% of US STEM graduates identify as women, which means there is a substantial disparity in the pool of candidates. So, what can organizations do to ensure better gender diversity?
Let’s look at some real-world approaches worth pursuing ...
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