Girls Who Code Quantifies Barriers to Close the Cybersecurity Gender Gap

With only 22% of cybersecurity professionals identifying as women, Girls Who Code needed nationally representative evidence about why the gender gap persists among teens. The organization required clear, statistically defensible insights into awareness, interest, confidence, sense of belonging, the timing of peak interest, and the impact of out-of-school-time (OST) programs so it could craft targeted interventions and advocate to industry, educators, and policymakers. The stakes were high: closing the gap matters for opportunity and for the cybersecurity workforce’s innovation and national security resilience.

Touchstone Research delivered a full-service, national quantitative study: an online survey of 2,105 U.S. teens (ages 13–18) combining a nationally representative sample with a segment of Girls Who Code alumnae. Touchstone managed survey co-development, strategic sampling and recruitment, field management, data quality assurance, rigorous analysis across gender/demographics/experience, and strategic visual reporting to produce evidence suitable for national advocacy.

The study produced the evidence base for Girls Who Code’s Breaking Barriers report and actionable recommendations for industry, education, and government. Key findings included: 97% of girls had heard of cybersecurity but only 17% felt they knew a lot about it; 68% of boys versus 50% of girls expressed interest in cyber careers; curiosity peaks at ages 15–16; girls familiar with cybersecurity were 16 times more likely to have learned about it through OST programs (yet only 28% participate). These insights reframed outreach (emphasizing mission-driven protection, role models, mentorship, and timed interventions), guided Girls Who Code’s policy and education initiatives, and supplied the statistical weight needed to influence stakeholders.