Cyber leaders urge culture shift to retain women in STEM

Technology and cybersecurity leaders are urging organisations to prioritise retention, sponsorship and culture change as the sector marks International Women's Day. They warn that diversity efforts will stall without structural shifts in how women and non-binary professionals are supported at work.

Senior executives from Tanium and HTEC said that while representation has improved in some areas of STEM, workplace culture and career systems still limit progression and contribute to attrition, particularly at senior levels.

Diversity gap

Cybersecurity and wider STEM fields remain heavily male in many markets, especially in senior and technical leadership roles. Industry surveys over recent years point to persistent gaps despite targeted hiring programmes and high-profile inclusion campaigns.

"I strongly believe in encouraging more women and non-binary people to enter technology and cyber, but just as importantly, we need to do a better job of supporting and retaining the talented people who are already here. For far too long, STEM fields, including IT and cybersecurity, have struggled with diversity and inclusion. While progress has been made, meaningful change still requires shifts in both mindset and systems," said Melissa Bischoping, Senior Director, Security & Product Design Research, Tanium.

Bischoping drew a distinction between recruitment initiatives and the longer-term work needed to build environments that sustain diverse careers.

Workplace culture

Executives are placing greater emphasis on the day-to-day experiences of women and non-binary staff, including how teams address bias and misconduct. Many see culture as the deciding factor in whether early-career hires stay, progress, or leave the sector.

"Inclusion is about actively creating environments where people feel safe, supported, and able to do their best work. That means addressing misogyny and bias directly, rather than expecting individuals to tolerate them. Research consistently shows that when people can show up as their authentic selves at work, they are more satisfied, more engaged, and more likely to stay and grow," said Bischoping.

She also pointed to the lingering influence of what is often described as "tech bro culture" in some teams, and the outsized impact of individual behaviour.

"Too many women continue to be held back by workplace cultures that make them feel uncomfortable or unwelcome. While so-called 'tech bro culture' is fading in some organisations, it only takes one person or one incident to create lasting harm. An engineer who treats colleagues of another gender poorly is not exceptional, and we shouldn't be rewarding or promoting that behaviour," said Bischoping.

Caregiving load

Industry leaders also warned that policies on flexibility and parental leave do not always translate into genuine equity. Many women in cybersecurity and technology still carry a disproportionate share of caregiving, which can constrain progression and influence decisions about staying in the field.

"Equity also means acknowledging the unequal expectations placed on women as parents and primary caregivers. Women in cybersecurity are disproportionately affected by caregiving responsibilities. Many women who leave tech and cyber cite caregiving as a decisive factor, contributing to the sharp drop-off in representation at senior levels. That tells us culture, not policy, remains the real barrier," said Bischoping.

Her comments reflect wider concerns that unspoken norms-such as expectations around availability or travel-can undercut formal commitments to flexibility.

Early-career roles

Alongside culture and caregiving, some security leaders are questioning how automation is reshaping career paths. They argue that entry-level investigative work remains critical for developing the judgement required in senior security roles.

"There's no silver bullet for security. Our advantage will come from organisations that invest in people alongside technology. Early-career roles are where analysts develop judgement, intuition, and confidence through hands-on investigation and learning over time. If we optimise only for speed and automate away too much of that experience, we risk weakening the leadership pipeline the industry depends on. That's how we ensure women and girls who enter science, technology, and cybersecurity are supported to stay, grow, and lead," said Bischoping.

Sponsorship focus

Marketing and leadership specialists are also calling for a shift from mentorship to sponsorship in technology companies. Sponsorship typically involves senior leaders using their influence to secure stretch assignments, visibility and promotion for under-represented colleagues.

"Giving starts with slowing down enough to actually hear people. In tech, where the pace is relentless, listening is undervalued. From that foundation, you can help women clarify their strengths, connect their work to wider goals, and lead with confidence rather than second-guessing.

"But individual acts aren't enough. Organisations need to provide real access, not just good intentions. Sponsorship over mentorship, because sponsorship combines advocacy with influence and opens doors that mentorship alone cannot. Transparent career pathways, flexible working, and genuine leadership development remove barriers that persist even when capability is not in question.

"Allyship operates at the level of daily interaction, not annual declarations: redirecting credit when someone's work is overlooked, returning the floor to a colleague who was interrupted, and challenging assumptions in the moment. The cumulative effect is cultural-and culture is what changes outcomes.

"When organisations give time, sponsorship, visibility and opportunity to women, they build stronger teams, reduce bias in their systems, and make better decisions. That's the gain. The case is strategic."

Alex Rumble, CMO and AI Ambassador, HTEC.