Why Gender Matters in International Cyber Security

Gender matters in international cyber security. It shapes and influences our online behaviour; determines access and power; and is a factor in vulnerability, whether real or perceived. As a result, malicious cyber operations can differently impact people based on their gender identity or expression. Online gender dynamics have been shown to reinforce or even amplify the social, economic, cultural and political structures of the offline world. As gender affects the way people and societies view weapons, war, and militarism, a gender analysis of international cyber security can generate more nuanced understandings of the dynamics which shape policy and practice in this area.