--- title: Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber... description: The proportion of women in the UK cybersecurity workforce has fallen to 16 percent, the lowest since 2021, with women in senior roles (6+ years experience) at... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry | daily.dev og:description: The proportion of women in the UK cybersecurity workforce has fallen to 16 percent, the lowest since 2021, with women in senior roles (6+ years experience) at... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/zTVFXnhqZ.png og:image:alt: Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry **[The Register](https://daily.dev/sources/theregister)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary The proportion of women in the UK cybersecurity workforce has fallen to 16 percent, the lowest since 2021, with women in senior roles (6+ years experience) at just 12 percent. A UK government report found structural barriers, including employers avoiding hiring women over fears of pregnancy-related absence, persistent 'old boys' club' stereotypes, and assumptions women lack technical skills. By contrast, neurodivergent representation hit a record 22 percent and ethnic minority representation held at 19 percent, though both groups remain underrepresented in senior positions (9 percent each). Disabled workers remain the most underrepresented group at 9 percent overall and 5 percent in senior roles. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What percentage of the UK cybersecurity workforce identifies as women? Women make up 16 percent of the UK cybersecurity workforce, the lowest level since 2021. The figure drops further to 12 percent among senior professionals with six or more years of experience, a proportion that has stayed broadly consistent since records began. This compares to a UK cross-industry average of 48 percent and a digital sector average of 30 percent. _Developers tracking workplace equity trends in tech can follow coverage like this on daily.dev._ ### Why are women held back from senior cybersecurity leadership roles in the UK? UK government interviews with cyber industry stakeholders found structural barriers, with employers purposely excluding women from senior positions. Recruiters reported employers avoiding hiring women due to fears they would become pregnant and take extended leave, a practice that violates the UK's Equality Act 2010. Persistent 'old boys' club' stereotypes and false assumptions about women lacking technical skills were also cited as factors. _Anyone navigating hiring and inclusion challenges in security teams can find related discussions on daily.dev._ ### How does neurodivergent representation in UK cybersecurity compare to other industries? Neurodivergent workers reached a record 22 percent of the UK cybersecurity workforce, up sharply from 16 percent the prior year and from just 9 percent in 2020. This exceeds the broader digital sector average of 19 percent, making cybersecurity one of the most neurodiverse fields, though the rise may partly reflect growing employer awareness rather than a true increase in numbers. _Those following workforce diversity data across tech sectors can track similar reports on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Cybersecurity Still Struggles to Retain and Elevate Women…Why?](https://daily.dev/posts/cybersecurity-still-struggles-to-retain-and-elevate-women-why--cdqkizuye) · Security Boulevard · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [UK tech has fewer foreign boffins, struggling to upskill](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-tech-has-fewer-foreign-boffins-struggling-to-upskill-jjlnjer1p) · The Register · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [UKIE: 22% of UK games industry workforce affected by job losses in last three years](https://daily.dev/posts/ukie-22-of-uk-games-industry-workforce-affected-by-job-losses-in-last-three-years-noyrdr3qs) · GamesIndustry.biz · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [AI widens the gender gap](https://daily.dev/posts/ai-widens-the-gender-gap-urxhg1plg) · LeadDev · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Just 34% of cyber pros plan to stick with their current employer](https://daily.dev/posts/just-34-of-cyber-pros-plan-to-stick-with-their-current-employer-mbjwppsdg) · CSO Online · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#career](https://daily.dev/tags/career) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz"},"datePublished":"2026-10-01T09:16:34.421Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:16:54.952Z","description":"The proportion of women in the UK cybersecurity workforce has fallen to 16 percent, the lowest since 2021, with women in senior roles (6+ years experience) at...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/80a429914ec8bb8f65ef7bc0244d9d64?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/80a429914ec8bb8f65ef7bc0244d9d64?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"The Register","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Register","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/66aa2113fdad463992ffcbf0e8963fda","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/theregister"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"career","timeRequired":"PT6M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Register","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/theregister"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fewer women than ever in UK's 'old boys' club' cyber industry"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/fewer-women-than-ever-in-uk-s-old-boys-club-cyber-industry-ztvfxnhqz#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What percentage of the UK cybersecurity workforce identifies as women?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Women make up 16 percent of the UK cybersecurity workforce, the lowest level since 2021. 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