GWU January 2021 1 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