Women in infosec: Real-life experiences and challenges

I didn't encounter any such evidence.

 

I have worked my entire life in hi-tech, and I've been involved heavily in interviewing and hiring talent. There wasn't even a single time that we ever excluded a person based on anything but their actual suitability for the role. It was always: get the best person for the job.
Mrk

 

I can not imagine a tech company would tell a candidate that they were turned down for a job because of their gender. I'm pretty sure that if they even bothered to give a reason, they'd lie. A tech company I once worked for never hired women in computer operations for all sorts of inane reasons. The entire staff, including the management was all male. When a highly qualified lady was finally considered for a position in operations, the staff and management held a vote on whether they would accept her or not. They did not evaluate her CV. Interestingly, none of the males ever had to endure the vote of eligibility. This stuff happens behind closed doors and the only way it ever gets out, is if someone involved blabs about it. One of the operators told me about it so I asked another operator if it was true and he said yes because it was going to be very difficult if she had have been forced on them. They are stealing our jobs, you know.

 

@emmjay that doesn't surprise me.That kind of thing happens in all kinds of industries.

 

@emmjay
I didn't encounter similar problems if woman had knowledge and could do a job. Of course, there usually wasn't many women trying to get a job to begin with. It's somehow considered as a "male" job.
There's much bigger problem for women to get a job if company expects them to use maternity and parental leave. In such case, company usually decides to hire a man, but doesn't publicly acknowledge what was a reason for this decision.

 

Exabeam Study Confirms IT Security Diversity Problem

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/exabeam-study-it-security/

 

https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/964156129616932865

 

That's not a challenge, that's the reality of social, cultural and biological differences among men and women. 90% of all kindergarten carers are female, should that also be changed to satisfy arbitrary quotas? Most miners and car mechanics are male. Most flight attendants are female. Most doulas are female. There's a natural order in things. Forcing things never leads to good outcomes.
Mrk

 

If either gender does not usually persue careers in any given industry because they choose not to, that's one thing.
If they don't because they are being deliberately excluded when they try to, that is something else entirely and has nothing to do with any natural order of things.

 

Correct, but you're talking about Western countries, which have the highest levels of individual freedom and civil rights in the entire world. I have yet to witness discrimination in the industry (on any level, against anyone). It comes down to desire (whether someone wants to do something) and ability (if they have the skills to do that). The notion that somehow the IT industry is all-male because men don't want women at the workplace is absurd. If anything, the opposite is true.
Mrk

 

Nonsense. The Cream Rises to the Top no matter age, sex, or race. And if one feels that raises and/or promotions are not coming their way that person can always resign. If they are truly good they will have numerous offers already in place anyway. If they aren't that good they should just Shut Up and deal with their own mediocrity.

There is much too much whining recently...

 

That is not entirely accurate. There are two very different worlds in America, the public sector which is based on the socialist model and supports traditional workplace values that do provide opportunities for promotion, recourse against unfair treatment etc and then there is the private sector where the employees livelihood depends on one thing and one thing only, the whims of the scheduling manager who has more power over all the employees lives than anybody else because they can and very often do cut the hours of people they take a personal dislike to, and increase the hours of their favorites and I can tell you, it doesn't stop there, if that manager is male, refuse the sexual advances of that manager? Expect your income to dwindle as your hours are cut. Complain about it? They'll be cut more and you'll be victimised and persecuted until you quit.
Give in to those advances ? Your schedule is gonna start looking pretty good. I have seen all of that and alot more and a lot worse including attempted rape and know people that kind of thing happens to all the time and there is nothing they can do. No one cares, no one is interested.
Exceptional skills at the job? Means not a damn thing to corporate management and why should it? It makes no difference to their income, they are on salary, riding that gravy train is the only thing they are interested in and they'll dump you like a rock if you start to become a problem for them by daring to make a complaint.

 

Rock- There is so much that I would like to say but I really shouldn't. But as I can only speak for myself (obviously), what I have seen is that the only Workers that can be considered "oppressed" are those with average skills. Respect and above average Remuneration are directly proportional to skill and experience and nothing else.

I personally absolutely HATE being lumped in with everyone else that happens to be of the same sex; we all have different educational backgrounds and expertise (and taste in clothing) and should be considered on this basis alone.

And as far as someone pawing my thigh? Try it if you want to find a letter opener in your throat.

 

Sister, my hands are staying glued to my sides lol

 

A researcher recommends tech companies clean up their university recruiting sessions ...

https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-there-few-women-in-tech-watch-a-recruiting-session/

 

Meet The Women Launching Europe's First All-Female Cyber Security Conference

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateof...he-first-all-female-cyber-security-conference

 

Can the Girl Scouts STEM the Skills Gap?
June 7, 2018
https://securityintelligence.com/media/can-the-girl-scouts-stem-the-skills-gap/

 

The trouble with so many girls is, they study hard, get degrees and just when it looks like the world is their oyster, they get pregnant and it's all over.

 

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...rassment-policies-and-institutions-fail-them/

 

Reading that article is like reading something from another planet.
Mrk

 

I wonder how that varies from country to country being that disrespecting women is probably a cultural thing related to upbringing. This research appears to have been conducted in the US and Americans are not exactly known for their good manners to begin with...

 

Class-action status snub for lawsuit alleging Microsoft mistreatment of women workers
Redmond slips out of key provision in discrimination case
June 26, 2018
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/06/26/microsoft_avoids_class_action/