𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗘𝗥𝗧 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 (𝗦𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗥) 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗱, 𝗣𝗮𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 – The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (National CERT) of Pakistan conducted an insightful training lecture on Gender-Biased Employment Challenges in Cybersecurity under its Security Awareness for Female Empowerment and Resilience (SAFER) initiative. Held through the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCy) Forum at FAST-NUCES, the session aimed to help female students and faculty understand the dynamics, disparities, and emerging opportunities for women in the cybersecurity field.
The session led by Dr. Mehreen Afzal, Director GRC, National CERT, highlighted both global and local trends illustrating the underrepresentation of women in cybersecurity and examined the systemic factors contributing to this imbalance. She thoughtfully addressed key challenges women encounter in their professional journeys and underscored that women are not only integral to the cybersecurity field but also vital to driving its secure and innovative future. Participants engaged in meaningful discussions on the role of inclusivity, mentorship and awareness in bridging the gender gap, gaining valuable insights into the evolving cybersecurity workforce landscape.
The training offered a supportive and interactive platform for female students from the Cybersecurity and Computer Science departments to exchange perspectives, discuss career goals and explore pathways to leadership in the field. These efforts reinforce National CERT’s ongoing commitment to empowering women through knowledge, awareness and equal opportunities in cybersecurity.