Date of Award

5-11-2025

Date Published

June 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Professional Studies

Department

Information Management

Advisor(s)

Joon Park

Keywords

Cybersecurity;Cybersecurity Education;Information Science;Social Context;Women in Cybersecurity;Women in STEM

Abstract

The cybersecurity workforce has a major problem in that it is comprised of only approximately 25% women. This shortage of women is a contributing factor to the growing field’s considerable overall lack of qualified candidates and has also resulted in a critical gender diversity deficiency. Our adversaries tend to come from more various backgrounds. As such, it is essential that those of us in the cybersecurity field embrace diverse perspectives so we can defend and protect our organizations more effectively. This study was influenced by the researcher’s area of practice, Cybersecurity Education, and the desire to help broaden women’s participation in cybersecurity. Motivated by the need to provide actionable insights to increase the number of women in the field of cybersecurity, this research presents the impacts of social context for women in cybersecurity degree programs, which may influence women’s pursuit of cybersecurity degrees. Grounded in the theory from John Seely Brown, that context must be added to information to produce meaning, this study was conducted primarily through the thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews, in part inspired by the landmark work done by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher in their book, Unlocking the Clubhouse. The findings highlight key reasons women pursue degrees in cybersecurity and their most impactful social experiences. The results show that these reasons and experiences women shared are primarily related to three main themes: Interest, Community, and Academic. Interest- and Community-related reasons and experiences were found to be the most impactful. In addition to the main themes, further analysis identified several subthemes. Most notable among these were Passion, Family and Friends, Mentors, and Social Support. By analyzing the impact of social context for women in cybersecurity degree programs, this study provides insight into women’s motivations to pursue cybersecurity degrees while highlighting their most impactful social experiences post-enrollment. Thus, the findings can serve as a resource to recruit and retain more women into the field, reduce gender disparity, and provide a more positive experience for women in cybersecurity.

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Open Access

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