Even as women have made dramatic advances in medicine, law, and other fields, the proportion of women pursuing undergraduate degrees in the computer sciences has actually been dropping, from around 30 percent in 1990 to 18 percent in 2010, according to the latest data from the National Science Foundation. As a result, according to the Census Bureau, women accounted for just 27 percent of computer science professionals — down from 34 percent in 1990.
And it’s even worse in the information security field. According to latest research, such as the 2013 (ISC)2 Global Information Security Workforce Study, only 11 percent of infosec professionals are female.
There are a number of barriers preventing women from entering or staying in the field, but both companies and women would benefit in an increase in the numbers, and companies and industry groups are working to turn things around.
