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As a mother and 20-year veteran of the cybersecurity industry, I know firsthand the uphill battle women in cybersecurity face.
Shortly before I gave birth to my daughter, a well-known industry leader excitedly encouraged me to teach security courses, promising that I could easily move up the ranks if only I taught some regional classes, which ultimately would qualify me to travel to bigger conferences where I could teach to a wider audience and make the big bucks.
He didn’t realize how insane this all sounded.
Spend weeks teaching at security conferences? Who would watch my baby? Where would I breastfeed? Would I make enough money to pay a sitter to stay overnight with my children? Even if I did, how would my baby/toddler fare with me being on the road? It wasn’t a realistic career choice for me then. Judging by how few women there are among the ranks of cybersecurity instructors today, it remains unrealistic career choice for many of us. This is not a coincidence, but a result of the skewed selection process and a work model that doesn’t enable primary caregivers to participate. This gender gap extends throughout our profession.
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