Empowering Women in Cybersecurity

The cybersecurity industry has been talking about the speaker diversity problem for over a decade. Despite panels, pledges, and diversity tracks, stages still skew heavily male.

Closing the Gap

SheSpeaksCyber, a free and open directory, aims to close this gap by making female experts discoverable to event organizers worldwide. The platform has a target of 50 percent female representation at cybersecurity events by 2030.

With estimates of women in cybersecurity maybe just a little bit ahead of the 20% in IT altogether, there is much work left to do. However, the actual number of female specialists is in the millions, meaning there are more than enough experts to go around for speakers at every event.

Community Movement

SheSpeaksCyber is not just a directory, but a community movement. The people who show up to use it – as speakers and event organizers – will be part of making the impact real. Many experts are way too careful to raise their hand and speak up, but making the community more visible and peers approachable can be the spark needed to dive into speaking.

Additionally, the directory can help bridge the gap between expertise and visibility. Meanwhile, the community can provide support and assistance to those who need it. For example, the directory can help event organizers find female speakers, and speakers can find events that match their expertise.

Finally, the goal of 50 percent female representation at cybersecurity events by 2030 is a specific, measurable target. The current baseline is far from this number, but with the help of SheSpeaksCyber, we can track progress and make changes to achieve this goal.