Dwan Jones brings more than 20 years of experience developing and leading comprehensive strategies to engage multicultural audiences to ISC2 as the Director of Inclusive Strategies and Engagement, Center for Cyber Safety and Education.
In this role, she develops and leads the organization’s internal and external strategic initiatives to foster a more diverse and inclusive cyber profession across the globe.
Dwan has extensive experience in strategic communications, multicultural program development, organizational development and has led teams to produce impactful, large-scale initiatives that drive engagement, connection and transformative change to elevate diverse voices.
Previously, she worked for Capital One, CDM Smith, AICPA, Pilot Media Companies and the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority among others. Dwan holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Syracuse University along with a master’s in organizational leadership.
Cybersecurity is a promising path into tech for women, especially those early in their careers or making a career change.
But if the industry wants to keep that promise, it must address the realities women still face once they get through the door.
Nearly three-quarters (72%) of women surveyed in the 2025 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study viewed cybersecurity as a welcoming profession. However, women still faced multiple barriers to career progression, including pay inequity, work-life balance challenges and limited visibility into career pathways. When women leave cybersecurity mid‑career, it points to deeper organisational failures, not individual choices. The conversation about women in cybersecurity, therefore, must include not just recruitment but retention as well.
Why Cybersecurity is an Opportunity-Rich Field for Women
Indeed, cybersecurity is an accessible, opportunity-rich entry point into tech for women, particularly those early in their careers or transitioning from other industries. Research showed that average job satisfaction among women who participated in the 2025 study increased from 67% in 2024 to 71%. The profession must build on this momentum by continuing to enhance women’s experiences, shed light on the value of retention initiatives and to make the profession even more inclusive.
As a dynamic, mission-driven profession, cybersecurity attracts people committed to solving human-centered problems and making the world safe and secure. IT Consultant Hazel Chirinda, CC, for instance, said she was “drawn to cybersecurity by curiosity,” adding that “purpose lies in knowing that the work … helps people sleep better at night, empowers teams to make confident decisions and strengthens organizations in the face of evolving threats.” Cybersecurity Professional Yaamini Mohan similarly describes it as a field where “learning never stops.”
Entering the cybersecurity workforce is not enough, however. Women continue to face obstacles across the career journey, including limited awareness of pathways, lack of mentorship and sponsorship and difficulty accessing training and certifications, in turn leading to challenges with advancing and remaining in the field long term. Addressing these issues requires action across the broader workforce ecosystem. In fact, that is the driving force behind the Global 50×50 Initiative (powered by the Center for Cyber Safety and Education + ISC2), a grassroots movement to elevate women’s voices, innovation and leadership in cybersecurity and highlight the actions needed to create a more resilient and sustainable cyber workforce for all.
Key Challenges Women Face in Cybersecurity
There are multiple factors that limit women’s career advancement in the profession. In fact, the study revealed notable differences between women’s and men’s views of the barriers women faced when remaining or advancing in cybersecurity roles: 45% of women participants identified work-life balance and caregiving demands as the top challenge faced by women, compared with 29% of men participants. More than a third of women participants (34%) pointed to pay and promotion inequity as a barrier, compared to 19% of men.
How Acquiring Certain Skills Can Help Women Stand Out
Validating and demonstrating in-demand skills can help women map out their career journey and fortify their success along the way. Understanding which skills are most valued is imperative. The workforce research confirmed that hiring managers look for both emerging technical skills and demonstrated capability. Artificial intelligence, for example, was the most pressing skill need cited by respondents (41%) and the second-highest technical skill valued by hiring managers (27%). Notably, women participants (27%) were more likely than men (17%) to report having “significant” knowledge of AI and machine learning.
But technical skills are only part of the picture. Cybersecurity professionals can stand out by combining technical skills with nontechnical ones, such as adaptability, resilience and collaboration. Across all respondents of the workforce study, hiring managers and professionals ranked several nontechnical skills higher than technical ones: problem-solving (29%), collaboration (24%), communication (22%), curiosity and eagerness to learn (20%) and strategic thinking (16%).
Practical Guidance for Creating Inclusive Cybersecurity Workplaces
While the conversation about women in cybersecurity often starts with recruitment, it clearly should not end there. As more women turn to cybersecurity as an accessible, high-opportunity path into tech, it is essential to ensure that they can advance, thrive and lead once they arrive.
Workplace requirements such as flexible working arrangements, remote options and pathways to leadership that don’t require compromising family life help to retain talented women who may otherwise leave the profession entirely. Research about this topic speaks volumes: 42% of women study participants indicated that support for caregivers or flexible work arrangements would make the most difference to their success in the cybersecurity workforce.
In cybersecurity, losing women mid‑career is a systemic organisational failure. It is crucial for the retention of women to build inclusive and accessible teams and working environments and normalise flexible schedules and hybrid/remote roles.
Creating a Welcoming Environment Starts with Leadership
It goes without saying that creating a welcoming environment for women to progress in cybersecurity starts at the top. In this context, leadership means creating conditions where others can succeed by expanding access, elevating diverse perspectives and building pathways that did not previously exist.
That can look like organizations investing in programs or partnering with community groups to introduce cybersecurity careers to students who may not otherwise encounter them. It can also show up through sponsorship, advocacy and using leadership positions to open doors for others.
Cybersecurity has a real opportunity to become one of the most accessible and future-facing careers in tech for women. But realizing that opportunity requires more than bringing women into the field. It requires creating workplaces where women can grow, lead and stay on board. If the industry is serious about strengthening the cybersecurity workforce for the future, supporting women’s long-term success must be part of the strategy. The Global 50×50 Initiative has started the momentum to this goal. Let’s keep it going!
