Cyber Sector Employees Younger, With Stagnant Female Representation
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
A report by Altshare reveals that cybersecurity professionals are generally younger than their counterparts in other tech sectors. The study also indicates that female representation in cybersecurity has remained stagnant at around 25% since 2022, significantly lower than the 34.6% seen across all tech industries. The report further details differences in company founding structures and equity distribution within the cyber sector compared to broader tech fields, with cyber founders and employees retaining larger stakes.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Cybersecurity employees are younger than in other tech sectors, with stagnant female representation.
- Women comprise about 25% of cybersecurity workers, compared to 34.6% across all tech sectors.
- The gender gap persists among younger cybersecurity professionals aged 30 and under.
- Cyber companies are more often founded by two or three co-founders than by a single entrepreneur.
- Cyber founders and employees tend to hold larger equity stakes in their companies.
Employees in the cybersecurity sector are, on average, younger than those in other high-tech fields, according to a new report. The study, based on data from Altshare, an Israeli equity and options management platform serving over 3,000 companies globally, also found that the representation of women in cybersecurity has remained largely unchanged since 2022.
In 2022, women constituted 24.2% of the cybersecurity workforce. The current report indicates this figure has barely budged, with women making up about a quarter of cyber employees. This contrasts with 34.6% representation across all surveyed technology sectors. Only aviation, defense, and homeland security sectors reported lower female representation at 16.9%.
The gender disparity persists even among younger professionals. In the 30-and-under age group, women account for 25% of cyber workers. Their representation increases slightly to nearly 29% for those aged 31-40, and drops to 21.5% for employees over 50.
Founding trends also differ in cybersecurity. Approximately 82% of surveyed cyber companies were established by two or three co-founders, compared to only 8.1% founded by a sole entrepreneur. In contrast, 19.3% of companies in other tech sectors had single founders.
Cyber founders also tend to retain a larger equity stake. At the seed stage, the median holding for cyber founders was 57.8%, versus 51.5% in other tech fields. This gap persists in later-stage Series C funding rounds, with cyber founders holding a median of 27.9% compared to 23.4% in other sectors. Employees in cybersecurity firms also receive a larger share of equity, with 15.1% allocated in Series C rounds, compared to 13.5% across other tech industries, allowing them to benefit from company growth.
Ronan Solomon, quoted in the report, highlighted the ongoing gender gap among younger hires, stating that "the fact that even among employees aged 30 and under, only one in four is a woman should set off an alarm bell." He emphasized that diversity is a business advantage, particularly in an industry where identifying threats and innovative problem-solving are crucial.
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