WOMEN CLOSE SECURITY GAP
Government policy of equal opportunity has been big help
Government policies help women in IT sector, but there’s still not enough at the top,
ABU DHABI // The role of women in the security industry is evolving but more needs to be done for complete gender equality, female IT and security experts say. Although some experienced setbacks because of prejudices and a lack of women in the industry, that is changing.
“There are things that we need from men for us to be able to reach and develop our potential,” said Irene Corpuz, head of planning and IT security at the Western Region Municipality.
“So it’s very important for us to feel welcome no matter where we’re from, what we wear and whatever colour our skin is.”
Ms Corpuz said it was a man’s world when she came to the region to work at a private IT company 10 years ago.
“I had difficulty the first time I came to the UAE, although I brought with me 20 years of IT experience,” she told the Cyber Resilience and InfoSec conference in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
“After proving I could be in the same field as men, I came back to the sector. They found that it’s not about gender but about letting you be involved where you know you can excel.”
Abeer Khedr, information security director at the National Bank of Egypt, said all successful companies realised the importance of inclusion and diversity.
“There is no one- size- fits- all if you want to be inclusive,” Ms Khedr said. “Women are equal to men and there are some characteristics that women can add value in IT and security, like the fact that we are naturally risk-averse, we have the ability to multitask and we have a lot of patience.”
Girls usually outperform boys at school in the Arabian Gulf, but the region is home to 13 of 15 countries with the lowest rates of women in the labour force, the 2015 Global Gender Gap Report says.
The UAE took the lead in the region that year, when it also established the Gender Balance Council to increase the number of women in leadership positions.
“We are blessed with our Gov- ernment and its support,” said Meera Al Mansoori, head of information security at an Abu Dhabi Government body. “We passed the era of women empowerment a long way back and we stand our ground and say it’s not about gender. We are part of this whole ecosystem and we contribute to it.”
But even as women’s careers advance, there are not as many in top positions. “That happens because as mothers we value our time with our family,” said Ms Corpuz, who has three children.
“At the same time, we want to be valuable in the organisation we work in but our time is divided between the volume of our responsibilities and our children.” Hessa Mohammed, an Emirati who works in the IT sector, said: “My son is two years old but I feel bad when I have to leave him with my husband.
“It’s also a very stressful sector and you have to constantly be on call, so it’s not easy. My family will always come first but I love my job and this is why I do it.”
The introduction of mobility services and technology means many can now work remotely.
“A lot of that provides a better working environment for both genders,” said Rasha Abu Al Saud, senior vice president at a leading bank in Saudi Arabia.
“The trend we’re seeing is how to transform organisations to be the employer of choice by providing a better working environment while using technology. I believe what is important is qualifications and capabilities.
“Each individual should be provided with an equal opportunity to compete and, in most organisations nowadays, even in Saudi, women are provided with equal opportunities.”