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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Women made up 16% of the UK cyber security sector workforce in the latest government estimate, and 12% of its senior workforce. The Register described the overall share as the lowest since 2021, but the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) cautions that sample-size limits mean workforce-level changes such as this are not expected to be statistically significant. The figures show persistent underrepresentation—not a statistically established recent decline.
What the latest UK figures show
DSIT’s Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2026, published on 29 September 2026, estimates that women accounted for 16% of the UK cyber security sector workforce. Its main survey data was collected in 2025. The report says this maintains the previous year’s pattern; it does not establish a statistically significant change over time.
The Register’s 1 October 2026 headline, “Fewer women than ever in UK’s ‘old boys’ club’ cyber industry,” interprets the trend as a fall to the lowest level since 2021. That is the publication’s reading of the trend, not a statistically significant decline reported by DSIT.
Different workforce measures have different scopes
The 16% estimate concerns people employed by cyber security businesses asked diversity questions in DSIT’s survey. Those businesses were estimated to employ 69,589 people. The report’s broader estimate of 145,900 people in the UK cyber security talent base includes a wider range of roles and career pathways, so it is not the denominator for the 16% figure.
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DSIT also cites an Annual Population Survey estimate that women were 14% of full-time SOC 2135 cyber security professionals in 2025. The report warns that this is not an accredited Official Statistic and has response-rate and coding limitations. It is a different measure and should not be treated as interchangeable with the sector-workforce estimate.
Representation is lower at senior levels
Women accounted for 12% of the senior UK cyber security sector workforce in DSIT’s 2025 survey. The report defines senior workers as typically having six or more years of experience. That is four percentage points below the 16% estimate for the workforce overall.
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The gap matters because a low overall share does not describe who reaches experienced and leadership roles. But the figures are snapshots, not evidence that any single workplace practice caused the difference.
How the workforce compares with the wider sector and student pipeline
The comparisons below come from different data years and populations. DSIT’s cyber sector workforce estimates use 2025 survey data; digital-sector and whole-workforce comparators use January–December 2024 data; student figures cover the 2023/24 academic year.
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| Measure | Women’s share | Population and data period |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber security sector workforce | 16% | DSIT survey, 2025 |
| Senior cyber security sector workforce | 12% | Typically six or more years’ experience; DSIT survey, 2025 |
| Digital sector workforce | 29% | January–December 2024 comparator |
| Whole UK workforce | 48% | January–December 2024 comparator |
| Undergraduate cyber security students | 14% | HESA/Jisc data, academic year 2023/24 |
| Postgraduate cyber security students | 28% | HESA/Jisc data, academic year 2023/24 |
| Undergraduate computer science students | 21% | HESA/Jisc data, academic year 2023/24 |
| Postgraduate computer science students | 37% | HESA/Jisc data, academic year 2023/24 |
The student figures suggest that women’s representation differs between cyber security courses and computer science courses, and between undergraduate and postgraduate study. They do not show what causes workforce representation or establish how many students enter or remain in cyber security careers.
What interviewees said can make progression harder
DSIT’s qualitative strand involved 51 in-depth interviews conducted from 15 September to 1 December 2025. The sample was not representative, and DSIT says its interview conclusions are not definitive. The accounts below describe themes and perceptions, not how often a barrier occurs across UK employers or what caused the workforce percentages.
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- Historical underrepresentation and senior hiring: interviewees described a longstanding shortage of women and continued reluctance to recruit them into senior roles.
- Assumptions about family plans: participants reported assumptions that a woman might leave to start a family or would not want the demands of leadership. One recruitment agent described employers raising pregnancy as a reason not to hire women: “When I’ve spoken to a business and said to them ‘why don’t you hire a more diverse workforce?’ You’ll get the normal common ones of ‘well if we hire a female, she’ll get pregnant, she’ll be off for 12 months,’ which isn’t right.”
- Assumptions about technical suitability: interviewees described beliefs that women may lack technical skill or interest in the field.
- A sense of not belonging: participants referred to cyber security as an “old boys’ club,” a perception that can make the sector seem less welcoming to women.
- Job-advertisement requirements: interviewees perceived that women may be less likely to apply when they do not meet every listed requirement. This is an interview theme, not a measured comparison of application behaviour.
School outreach can reinforce stereotypes
One small cyber security business respondent recounted asking a careers adviser about five girls who had left a pathway. The adviser replied: “oh, cyber security is not really a girl’s job”. This is an interview excerpt, not a national measure of teachers’ views.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Pregnancy and maternity discrimination: the legal context
Acas says pregnancy and maternity are protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Unfavourable treatment because someone is pregnant, on maternity leave or entitled to maternity leave can be discrimination, including during recruitment as well as at work. An interview account alone does not establish that a particular employer broke the law.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Acas’s guidance, What the law says: Pregnancy and maternity discrimination, was last updated on 10 June 2026.
What employers and the sector are doing
DSIT’s 2025 fieldwork found that 68% of surveyed cyber security firms had engaged with at least one of the diversity or skills initiatives covered by the survey in the prior year. Reported activities included school or college talks and workshops (32%) and work placements (30%). These are measures of firms’ reported activity, not evidence that the initiatives improved recruitment or retention.
Interviewees described some large employers’ mentoring or coaching schemes. One employer used targets for women in senior leadership and head-hunters. Participants also suggested targeted development routes and recruiting from other technology and business areas. These are reported examples and suggestions, not proven remedies; DSIT notes that most participants offered no concrete suggestions.
How to read the headline fairly
The evidence supports a clear conclusion: women remain substantially underrepresented in the UK cyber security sector, particularly in its senior workforce. It does not support treating “lowest since 2021” as a statistically significant decline, or treating interview accounts as representative proof of why the figures look as they do. The Register quoted techUK head of cyber resilience Jill Broom saying: “However, the underrepresentation of women in this industry remains a significant concern.”
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