Location
Kumasi, Ghana & Virtual
Start Date
7-8-2026 12:30 PM
End Date
7-8-2026 1:00 PM
Description
The growing reliance on digital systems has increased the importance of effective cybersecurity operations, particularly within Security Operations Centres (SOCs) where analysts must detect and respond to threats in real time. Despite attention to human factors, limited research examines these dynamics from a gendered and experiential perspective. This study explores the lived experiences of women in SOC environments, focusing on how they perceive and interpret cybersecurity threats within complex organizational contexts. A qualitative, phenomenological approach is adopted, using semi-structured interviews with women experienced in SOC roles. Data are analysed through thematic analysis to identify patterns in operational practices, organizational dynamics, and adaptive strategies. The study is guided by Social Cognitive Theory, Sensemaking Theory, and Gendered Organizations Theory, which together frame the interaction between individual agency, cognitive processes, and organizational structures. A focus on women is warranted because their persistent underrepresentation in the cybersecurity workforce, together with reported experiences of marginalization, heightened scrutiny, and unequal access to mentorship and recognition, suggests that their operational realities in SOCs may differ meaningfully from those of their male counterparts, yet this population remains largely absent from operational, role-specific research. The study contributes to human-centred cybersecurity by providing a gender-aware perspective on SOC operations, offering insight into how workplace conditions and gendered dynamics shape operational effectiveness and highlighting implications for improving inclusion and strengthening cybersecurity practices.
How Women in Security Operations Centres Perceive Cybersecurity Threats
Kumasi, Ghana & Virtual
The growing reliance on digital systems has increased the importance of effective cybersecurity operations, particularly within Security Operations Centres (SOCs) where analysts must detect and respond to threats in real time. Despite attention to human factors, limited research examines these dynamics from a gendered and experiential perspective. This study explores the lived experiences of women in SOC environments, focusing on how they perceive and interpret cybersecurity threats within complex organizational contexts. A qualitative, phenomenological approach is adopted, using semi-structured interviews with women experienced in SOC roles. Data are analysed through thematic analysis to identify patterns in operational practices, organizational dynamics, and adaptive strategies. The study is guided by Social Cognitive Theory, Sensemaking Theory, and Gendered Organizations Theory, which together frame the interaction between individual agency, cognitive processes, and organizational structures. A focus on women is warranted because their persistent underrepresentation in the cybersecurity workforce, together with reported experiences of marginalization, heightened scrutiny, and unequal access to mentorship and recognition, suggests that their operational realities in SOCs may differ meaningfully from those of their male counterparts, yet this population remains largely absent from operational, role-specific research. The study contributes to human-centred cybersecurity by providing a gender-aware perspective on SOC operations, offering insight into how workplace conditions and gendered dynamics shape operational effectiveness and highlighting implications for improving inclusion and strengthening cybersecurity practices.
