GWU January 2021
Women Veterans’ Challenges
Part I in a White Paper Series
Toward Closing the Gap: Re-entry for Women Veterans into Cybersecurity Careers
Rachelle S. Heller, Costis Toregas, Taly Walsh
The George Washington University
Abstract - Closing the Gap: A DoD Conference on Re-
entry for Women Veterans into Cybersecurity Careers
addresses two crucial needs: To fill the exponentially
growing cybersecurity talent gap in the U.S., and to
harness the potential of female U.S. veterans, as well
as military spouses, to fill that gap. In addressing
these needs, the George Washington University
organizers have assembled a diverse group of
advisors from government, the military, academia,
and industry to help frame the conversation and the
initiative toward meaningful action, before, during,
and beyond the May 25, 2021 Conference date.
“Women Veterans’ Challenges” is the first in a series
of white papers designed to summarize the available
knowledge on diss, best practices and potential
solutions moving forward.
Index Terms – Cybersecurity, gender inequality, gender
issue, mentoring programs, women veterans.
INTRODUCTION
What are the challenges for a female veteran or military
spouse in moving from a military life to a civilian life,
either as a student or a member in industry? What defines
each culture, and how do different women view the
change, identify a path forward, and avail themselves of
resources and support structures? Finally, what role
should be played by supportive organizations, the
military, and the government to address the challenges?
Writing in a series in The Atlantic, Maples [22] noted “I
happen to be a woman. This is often inconvenient. It was
inconvenient for the military and, now that I’m out of the
military, it’s still inconvenient. In multiple surveys and
anecdotes, both women who are serving and women who
have served repeatedly list gender bias as an issue,
though the way it manifests itself differs during and after
their time in the military.
Women are the fastest-growing segment of the
veteran population — about 10% of the nation’s 21.5
million veterans are women. Adding to that number are
the military partners. Yet, the inequities in hiring, pay and
advances continue. What advantages can women
leverage as they pursue their paths forward to meaningful
and rewarding employment? On the other hand, what are
the challenges and obstacles to be overcome? What are
the current best practices to build on the advantages and
negate the challenges?
GENDER INEQUALITY: WHEN MEN AND
WOMEN ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY
BECAUSE OF GENDER
Are men from Mars and women from Venus?
Differences between the genders grow from culturally
reinforced social norms and expectations. Researchers
[23] note that women are said to be empathetic,
agreeable, conscientious, “open,” and orderly. The
characteristics of military veterans — persistence,
reliability, conscientiousness, and attention to detail —
are linked to enhanced job performance and academic
achievement.
Technical skills are not the only ones in demand in
cybersecurity. Deidre Diamond, CEO of a cyber-staffing
company, noted that communication, problem-solving
and the ability to work in teams are crucial to cyber
security careers. There are numerous soft skills non-
technical people bring to cybersecurity — curiosity,
analytical thinking, adapt-ability, etc. While technical
skills are, of course, important, and cybersecurity pros
need to know the tools of the trade and the latest threats,
non-technical skills also play a role in stopping hackers
and securing networks. In addition, no matter how
technically capable employees are, it is also critical that
they function well within a team environment since most
security outcomes are accomplished by teams of experts,
each contributing their expertise.
It is important that women highlight their strengths
and draw linkages from these strengths to the goals and
careers they are pursuing. Women’s problem-solving
skills and attention to detail relate to the nature of jobs
within cybersecurity [16]. Cybersecurity is, as most
technology related jobs are, a male dominated envi-
ronment (estimates range from 14 to 25% female in the
work cohort), and while women faced gendered
challenges in their military life (often called “gender
balance experiences”), they also learned to operate in a
male environment, a skill they can build upon in
cybersecurity. Olivia Rose, CISO at Mailchimp, made
just that point when she noted “what women bring to the
table are technical skills accompanied by some great
