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Empower women

Facts

Check out all the numbers, data and facts in the Kaspersky Women in tech report for 2020-2021

As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, where do women stand in technology and IT? Kaspersky decided to build on the research it began in 2018, and in 2020 the company spoke to women in Europe, North America, Latin America and the APAC region to find out how they now feel and what has changed over the past two years. There’s plenty of good news: 57% of the women surveyed agree that gender equality has improved in their organization. Even COVID-19 has brought benefits, with working from home helping women feel more autonomous in their roles — boosting their confidence as well as their career prospects. But there’s still a lot to be done in the field to truly empower women.

56% of women working in IT globally

agree that there are now more women in IT and tech roles in their organization than two years ago.

Only 10 % of women

surveyed work in a majority female team, with 48% in a male-dominated environment and 39% in an evenly split workplace.

44 % of women in tech % agree that ‘men progress faster than women in my organization.’

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

The ‘new normal’ of women in tech: a work-life [im]balance

48 % of women surveyed say they have found juggling work and family life stressful since March 2020.

6 in 10 women have taken on the responsibility for most of the household work and home schooling since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Read all stories

Regions

  • 50% of women in IT: ‘Gender will have no impact on my career’

    • 7in10 respondents

      believe their skills and experience are considered to be more important than their gender during the interview process for their first IT or tech role.

    • 46%

      of women surveyed agree that ‘gender equality is improved by teams working remotely’.

    • Just under 3 in 10 women surveyed have witnessed:

      • 29%

        double standards

      • 28%

        gender stereotyping

      • 28%

        assumptions that IT is not for women

      • 27%

        mansplaining, where a man feels it necessary to explain things to women that they already know in a bid to feel superior

    ‘Always surround yourself with opportunities for growth’

    Lavinia Rossi,
    Head of Global Enterprise Sales

    Read more

  • 76% of women surveyed in North America, where there is staunch support for gender balance, say their first IT employer valued their skills above their gender

    • 5in10 women

      agree that they would be less than enthusiastic about joining a company with a gender imbalance.

    • 55%of women

      agree that ‘the number of women in senior IT/tech roles in my organization has increased in the last two years’.

    • Why do women in North America value work in IT?

      • 25%

        like the good salary

      • 19%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 17%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 14%

        appreciate the opportunity to build a career in a field where they can make a difference

  • Latin America is the world champion when it comes to improving gender equality in IT

    • 76%of women
      in Latin America:

      ‘I don’t believe it matters what gender you are in IT. If you are good at your job you will progress quickly.’

    • 65%of women

      surveyed — the highest figure of any region — said that the number of women in the industry in relation to men had improved significantly since 2018.

    • Why do women in Latin America value work in IT?

      • 24%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 19%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 15%

        like the good salary

      • 14%

        enjoy the excellent training

    Daniela Alvarez de Lugo

    General Manager,
    North of Latin America

    Andrea Fernández

    General Manager,
    South of Latin America

    Read more

  • Europe has the highest number of majority male IT teams

    • Since 2018, there has been а 10%

      increase in the number of women in a tech or IT role in Europe who work in a male-dominated team.

      • 52%of women in the region work in majority male teams

      • 35%work in teams with an even split

      • 9%are part of majority female teams

    • Why do European women value work in IT?

      • 23%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 18%

        like the good salary

      • 17%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 13%

        enjoy the excellent training

    ‘Superwomen: in cybersecurity and in everyday life‘

    Alessandra Venneri, Head of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs for Italy at Kaspersky, has recently been featured as one of Europe’s top women in cybersecurity in the new #women4cyber book.

    Read more

  • For women in Russian tech, the financial rewards are the main motivation for working and growing in the industry

    • 30% of our respondents

      chose IT out of an interest in engineering disciplines such as mathematics, informatics and physics.

    • 56%of the women

      we surveyed in Russia said they had chosen a job in IT because of the high salaries and bonuses.

    • Top 5 problems faced by every other woman working in the Russian IT industry:

      • Gender discrimination.

      • The misconception that women are badly suited for certain positions in IT.

      • Double standards.

      • “Mansplaining” (when a male condescendingly explains to a female peer something she already knows).

      • Disapproval of maternity leave; the opinion that women need less money because they have husbands, boyfriends, or sponsors.

    ‘Women are reclaiming their early influence in IT’

    Tatyana Shishkova is proof that a woman who sets her sights on a career in cybersecurity can make it to the top.

    Read more

  • APAC is one of the most promising regions for women seeking a career in IT

    • 72%

      in this region say they were confident their opinion would be respected from day one regardless of their gender.

    • 62%of women in APAC

      have witnessed a growth in the number of women in their IT companies over the last two years.

    • Why do women in APAC value work in IT?

      • 21%

        like the good salary

      • 19%

        value the clear opportunities for career progression

      • 17%

        enjoy the healthy work-life balance

      • 15%

        appreciate the opportunity to build a career in a field where they can make a difference

    ‘My work is never going to be a routine job’

    For Noushin Shabab, Security Researcher at Kaspersky, diversity means productivity

    Read more

Methodology

Kaspersky commissioned Arlington Research to undertake research among men and women working in technology or IT roles in November and December 2020 across 19 global markets. This survey explored people’s perceptions of gender differences within the industry, barriers to a career in the technology and IT industries among both sexes, what has motivated men and women to develop a career in these industries and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on respondents’ career prospects.

An online survey of 13,000 respondents was conducted across 19 countries: the UK (1,000 respondents), Germany (1,000 respondents), France (1,000 respondents), Italy (1,000 respondents), Spain (1,000 respondents), the U.S. (1,000 respondents), Canada (1,000 respondents), Argentina (500 respondents), Brazil (500 respondents), Chile (500 respondents), Colombia (500 respondents), Mexico (500 respondents), Peru (500 respondents), Australia (500 respondents), India (500 respondents), Japan (500 respondents), Malaysia (500 respondents), Singapore (500 respondents) and Vietnam (500 respondents).

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Our partners

Support our initiative and become a partner of the Empower Women project — we look forward to cooperating with you!

  • Ada's List is a global community and professional network striving to create a more inclusive and equal tech industry.

    Learn more

  • CEFCYS - Cercle des Femmes de la CyberSécurité - promotes jobs, schoolings, trainings and initiatives of the cyber area with an aim to break the stereotypes around the industry.

    Learn more

  • Women of Suricata is OISF’s initiative that offers a welcoming and inviting space for women (& other underrepresented groups) developers across the cyber and information security field to come and learn Suricata and to join our open-source community.

    Learn more

  • Advisory is a fully youth-led pro bono nonprofit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices.

    Learn more

Noushin Shabab

Senior Security Researcher, GReAT

Noushin Shabab works as a Senior Security Researcher at Global Research & Analysis Team. Noushin has been in cyber security for 11 years, including five at Kaspersky. Her main motivation is to help people by protecting them from cyberthreats and making their lives less stressful. Noushin has a degree in IT engineering.

Yuliya Loktyushina

Web Analytics Group Manager

Yuliya Loktyushina is Team Leader at the web analytics group responsible for Kaspersky’s web-analytical and martech infrastructure. Yuliya and her team manage the integration of innovative data tracking technologies such as Google Analytics 4 and collect valuable insights from web-analytical and commercial systems. Yuliya holds two degrees in programming and marketing analysis.

Daniela Alvarez de Lugo

General Manager, North Latin America

Daniela Álvarez de Lugo is the General Manager for the North Latin America (NOLA) region in Kaspersky. She is responsible for the development and implementation of business strategies to achieve revenue growth in B2B and B2C sales, as well as the coordination and implementation of tactics aimed at partners and customers. Prior to her current role, Daniela served as Corporate Sales Manager for the Andean region, where she led the positioning of Kaspersky solutions in «Enterprise» accounts. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Preston in Wyoming.

Alessandra Venneri

Head of Corporate Communication & Public Affairs, Italy

Alessandra Venneri is Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Kaspersky Italy with over 13 years of experience in the cybersecurity field. She is responsible for defining the communication strategy and building a network of relationships to raise awareness of cybersecurity among decision-makers and media.

Tatyana Shishkova

Senior Malware Analyst

Tatyana Shishkova, Senior Malware Analyst based in Russia, has been with Kaspersky for seven years — ever since she completed her degree in applied mathematics and computer science. She continues to carry out active security research and is also proud to be part of a special initiative helping to jumpstart women’s careers in network security using Suricata IDS.

I loved that job. It satisfied my interest in technology and gave me the space to grow. However, I have always had a passion for traveling and discovering new cultures, and I wanted to apply this to my work.

Lavinia Rossi

Head of Global Enterprise Sales

I’ve been working in the IT security industry for eight years and have never doubted whether I should have chosen this career or not. We cannot deny that the gender gap in our industry exists and that the stereotype of programming and tech being male occupations persists.
But, at the same time, a lot of progress has been made over the last couple of years. I see that every year there are more and more young women entering internship positions at the R&D department at Kaspersky, who then have the opportunity to progress their careers in our company.
We also see a lot of support from our male colleagues in this respect. I personally did not face any discrimination during my studies or when applying for a job, as professional experience was the only important thing. I believe my example shows that if a woman is interested in cybersecurity, she should go for it and either pursue one of the many studying opportunities that are available, or the numerous job opportunities that exist in tech and IT companies today.

Tatyana Shishkova

Senior Malware Analyst

“Women who hold executive positions in IT companies have a responsibility to promote the advantages and benefits of working in this industry to future generations. There is a belief that careers associated with technology are complex; however, we must emphasize that the majority of IT careers require skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, communication and relationship building — attributes that many women possess and excel at. We must be role models for younger generations, as we are the best testament that women can contribute and succeed in this field, and that our participation furthers the industry’s success.”

Daniela Alvarez de Lugo

General Manager, North Latin America

Diversity yields more openness, knowledge and understanding for companies. It is essential to offer opportunities to women in the IT industry, as female leadership contributes a different point of view and approach. Diversity of opinions strengthens relationships and improves perspective.

Andrea Fernández

General Manager, South Latin America

A career in cybersecurity comes with many advantages. The industry provides learning and growth opportunities, as well as a chance to make the world a better and safer place. But more importantly, this is a field which allows you to be creative while acquiring and sharpening new skills every day. There is never a dull day on the job.

Aseel Kayal

Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team

I’ve been working in the IT security industry for eight years and have never doubted whether I should have chosen this career or not. We cannot deny that the gender gap in our industry exists and that the stereotype of programming and tech being male occupations persists.

But, at the same time, a lot of progress has been made over the last couple of years. I see that every year there are more and more young women entering internship positions at the R&D department at Kaspersky, who then have the opportunity to progress their careers in our company.

We also see a lot of support from our male colleagues in this respect. I personally did not face any discrimination during my studies or when applying for a job, as professional experience was the only important thing. I believe my example shows that if a woman is interested in cybersecurity, she should go for it and either pursue one of the many studying opportunities that are available, or the numerous job opportunities that exist in tech and IT companies today.

Tatyana Shishkova

Senior Malware Analyst

Technology is evolving very quickly these days and it means that there is a huge demand for specialists in different areas of cybersecurity all around the world. This is why I believe any young woman with an interest in computing can find an ideal career in the sector.

Noushin Shabab

Senior Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team

I’ve been working in the IT security industry for eight years and have never doubted whether I should have chosen this career or not. We cannot deny that the gender gap in our industry exists and that the stereotype of programming and tech being male occupations persists. But, at the same time, a lot of progress has been made over the last couple of years. I see that every year there are more and more young women entering internship positions at the R&D department at Kaspersky, who then have the opportunity to progress their careers in our company. We also see a lot of support from our male colleagues in this respect. I personally did not face any discrimination during my studies or when applying for a job, as professional experience was the only important thing. I believe my example shows that if a woman is interested in cybersecurity, she should go for it and either pursue one of the many studying opportunities that are available, or the numerous job opportunities that exist in tech and IT companies today.

Tatyana Shishkova

Senior Malware Analyst

“Not every entry-level position in cybersecurity requires a special degree - I started my career in cybersecurity as a spam analyst, being a certified German language teacher. I used my teaching experience to participate in Kaspersky’s educational initiatives and develop advice for all parties interested in the IT security of children. Cybersecurity allows everyone working in it to learn something new every day and constantly progress.”

Maria Namestnikova

Head of GReAT, Russia

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