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WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY: THERE JUST AREN’T ENOUGH OF US

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2022, 12:30:24 PM EST

By Annette Warren, President and CEO of iSECURE

There seems to be a great deal of interest in woman-owned businesses, specifically in Cybersecurity.  Certainly, it is an interesting topic for me as the President, CEO and owner of a Cybersecurity company. Most meetings and events that I attend, I look around the room and notice there are only a few women and sometimes I’m the only one. Although this is not entirely negative, I believe that the Cybersecurity space, as a whole, could benefit from our perspectives and influence. As I peel away women in business, in technology, and in security, I have noticed that there are very few women in key leadership positions. In addition, in my career, I have been in numerous positions and in a variety of companies where women are not well represented. This makes me wonder if woman have gained any momentum, in the work force, in the last twenty- five years?

 

Although I am a business owner, I am also a mother of three daughters.  As a young mother, I remember hoping that once my daughters were ready to join the workforce, women would have equal opportunities.  My blog post comes on the cusp of my oldest daughter entering medical school, and although she is going into a different profession, she has also noticed the lack of female leadership and representation. For example, when she was accepted into medical school, many people assumed that she is going to become a nurse.  I have the upmost respect for nurses, as my sister has been in the profession for over twenty-five years, however, the time spent in school and the expense to be a doctor is exponentially different. This is not uncommon in the medical profession, as woman doctors including, prominent surgeons, have continued to face this same adversity. Why is that? I remember managing a retail organization, at the beginning of my career, and the salesmen most often stood in a circle waiting for clients to enter the store.  Anyone who didn’t know me, and that I ran the operation, would automatically assume that I one of the salesmen, and that one of the eldest men in the group, was in charge.  In fact, I was one of the youngest and only one of the two women but I ran the operation.  Disappointingly years later I’m still hearing the same stories and experiences from other woman.

 

Are we not encouraging young woman to follow math and sciences in school?   Do we not make the industry look engaging or possibly does it appear that there aren’t opportunities or are there not enough of us mentoring?   I don’t have a technical degree, however, as any good business person I make sure I’ve  surrounded myself with very intelligent, skilled as well as like-minded people, but unfortunately they are all men.  It has been difficult for me to gain credibility in this industry as I have been viewed as an outsider.  I do, however, have over twenty-five years of business experience and twenty, of which, in technology.  I’ve earned my stripes in the trenches.  I’ve worked in both small and Enterprise Company’s but I’ve mostly worked in my own business for most of my career.  Although I have a degree in Business Management anyone who knows me knows I grew up in a family business and that experience has by far had the most impact.  I was raised by a strong cultural family with a father who emigrated from Greece, where men run the business and women run the family.  Trouble began when my parents had three daughters and there were mixed messages.  My mother, who is an American born Greek, has a very strong matriarchal family and certainly tipped the scales for me. I learned very early that I could do anything with hard work and focus.  I was born with business in my blood and “no” was unacceptable.  I think we need to teach all young women these same things. We need to encourage women to reach for whatever career they want and find other women in the business to shadow and learn from by working side by side.  We need to teach young women to work hard but to ask for more and never to settle.

 

Growing up in that dichotomy I understand the derivation and the lack of change but why is it acceptable?  I also look to pass that passion on to other women, especially young women, willing to listen.   I read an article that pointed at the fathers influence not only in the family but also in the workplace and that they can play a pivotal role to make a change.  I think this makes sense and I happily see young men getting married and who are more involved with their families and children.  I wonder though, do young men feel that they have to choose a family over a career?  Do men think about their time clocks and put off their career aspirations for family or even have to make that choice as many women of my generation have had to do?  I challenge women out there in positions of authority, those who run company’s, those who have achieved to find young women to mentor, spend time, and teach them what you know – and pay it forward!

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