Designing Gender-Inclusive Cybersecurity Outreach: Australian Stakeholder Perspectives and a Conceptual Model

Source abstract

Women remain underrepresented in cybersecurity, and outreach programs are widely used to introduce school students to the field. However, limited research has examined how these programs are designed and delivered, or what factors those who design and deliver outreach believe influence female participation. This study interviewed 19 Australian cybersecurity and STEM outreach providers who design, deliver or manage school outreach programs. Data were analysed using hybrid inductive–deductive thematic analysis, producing six themes spanning content, structure, pedagogy, inclusion, accessibility and evaluation. Outreach content was largely awareness-oriented and technically framed. Programs varied widely, with few offering follow-up, and evaluation was mostly short-term, with gender-disaggregated data rarely collected. Fifteen of the nineteen ran mixed-cohort programs only, and providers frequently treated balanced attendance as evidence of inclusion despite applying deliberate inclusive practices inconsistently. We develop a conceptual model of genderinclusive outreach design. The model distinguishes inclusion from participation and brings together stakeholders’ accounts of barriers beyond program design, particularly in how outreach opportunities become visible and accessible to students. It also identifies resources as a constraint on providers’ capacity to offer continued engagement. Proposed links to student outcomes require examination directly with students.