This month is Women’s History Month, a time when we intentionally focus on women and their achievements. We, however, are going to shift slightly to focus specifically on women in cybersecurity roles and the need for growth in this area. This year, the National Women’s History Alliance chose “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future” as its 2026 Women’s History Month theme, aimed at honoring women who are rebuilding systems to support long-term sustainability in environmental, economic, educational, and societal life. The topic of women’s prevalence in cybersecurity positions belongs in this conversation. As schools, hospitals, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies rely more heavily on digital systems, the work of securing those systems has become essential to a resilient and sustainable future.
That is one reason the focus of women in cybersecurity matters. It is not only relevant to the workforce but also to leadership. Women entering and advancing in cybersecurity fields are helping to protect the infrastructure upon which modern life depends, from financial transactions and medical records to public services and educational systems.
Even so, women remain underrepresented in the profession. ISC2, one of the field’s leading professional associations, reported in 2025 that women made up about 22% of the global cybersecurity workforce. In the United States, the representation is lower. According to ISC2’s reporting, which also referenced LinkedIn data, women account for only 18.3% of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce. While these figures show progress, they still fall far short of reflecting the broader population it serves.
The imbalance is visible inside many organizations. In findings published by ISC2 in March 2026, just over one-fifth of respondents said their cybersecurity teams had 10% or fewer women, while 14% said their teams had no women at all. CyberSeek, a widely used source of U.S. cybersecurity workforce data, reported in June 2025 that there were more than 514,000 cybersecurity job openings nationwide. This creates a compelling case for bringing more women into the profession, not just as a matter of fairness, but as a practical response to a national workforce shortage.
That is why the theme of sustainability is especially relevant. It is one that embraces community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity. These ideas map naturally onto cybersecurity. A secure digital society depends on preparing the next generation, building leadership pipelines, and making sure critical knowledge is passed forward. Recruiting girls and women into cyber- focused positions, therefore, is not just about filling jobs today but about sustaining the people, skills, and institutions that will be needed tomorrow.
A growing national network is working to make that happen. Women in CyberSecurity, known as WiCyS, has become one of the most visible organizations focused on recruiting, retaining, and advancing women in the field through conferences, mentorship, student chapters, and career development. Other groups are helping to widen the path as well. Cyversity supports underrepresented talent through scholarships and workforce development, while Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, and GenCyber help introduce younger students to cyber and computing pathways. Together, such efforts show that the movement to bring more women into cybersecurity is no longer scattered or symbolic; it is becoming a structured pipeline.
Through organizations like the Girl Scouts of the USA, that pipeline starts early. Working with partners, including Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and CYBER.ORG, they offer cybersecurity badges and cyber challenges that expose girls to digital safety and cyber problem-solving. CISA has described this collaboration as part of a broader effort to bring more young women into cybersecurity. Programs like these are important because they help girls see cybersecurity not as a niche or intimidating specialty, but as a real and reachable career path.
Colleges and universities are also helping build that future. Programs such as the Cyber Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, are designed to expand participation and success among women and other underrepresented groups in cybersecurity and related fields. These efforts matter because sustainability in any profession requires more than recruitment; it requires support, persistence, mentorship, and a clear route to leadership.
Women are shaping the field from the top. Across the United States, women-founded and women-led cybersecurity companies are helping redefine who is seen as an innovator, founder, and decision-maker in cybersecurity. This gives younger women role models, strengthens leadership succession, and helps dismantle the outdated notion that cybersecurity is a male domain.
In that sense, their work is not just technical; it is civic, economic, educational, and deeply future-focused. They are, in every sense, leading the change and helping shape a more sustainable future.
Courtesy, Karen Clay