Fewer women are becoming interested in cyber careers, a new study found, posing a challenge not only to private businesses, but also to the military, at a time when the Pentagon is trying to open more roles to women.

In the U.S., 40 percent of young men between the ages of 18 and 26 would consider a career in a cyber-related field. But only 23 percent of young women would consider the same job path, according to a survey released by Raytheon and the National Cyber Security Alliance.

It's the third year the survey has been conducted, and researchers said the gender gap is has been growing.

"There will be serious implications for the world's security, safety, and economic stability if we don't figure out how to foster a cybersecurity workforce capable of protecting our information from increasingly harmful cyber threats," said Jack Harrington, vice president for cybersecurity and special missions at Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services, in a statement.

"We have our work cut out for us to encourage young adults to pursue this profession and to address the widening gender gap, particularly here in the U.S.," he said.

A lack of cyber education or awareness of cyber career fields at high schools and other educational institutions is part of the problem, researchers found. Sixty-seven percent of young men and 77 percent of young women said no teacher, career counselor or other mentor had ever discussed a possible career field in cybersecurity, the study showed.

The Army's cyber force has a near-term manning goal of more than 1,000 soldiers.

Photo Credit: Michael L. Lewis/DoD

As with other jobs in STEM fields — science, technology, engineering, and math — the armed services are trying to interest young people in cybersecurity and show them the unique jobs they can have serving their country, said Col. Todd Glanzer, chief of cyberspace force development for the Office of the Air Force Secretary.

"We are trying to recruit from this population to fill our cybersecurity jobs," Glanzer said. "We're widely dependent on technology. We're trying to recruit the right people to serve in the Air Force in these key positions. We're looking at how do we not only recruit from our civilian sector but how do we find the right talent."

The service has a pilot program with the University of Maryland to identify cyber aptitude in potential recruits, much in the same way foreign language skills are analyzed for government jobs.

The military is trying to reach out and encourage young women to become interested in cyber fields, Glanzer said.

"One of our shining examples is, within our cybersecurity community, we have a female two-star general," he said. "There are examples throughout our service where we can show that it's not dependent on gender or some kind of demographic. We have opportunities to be successful in — not just cyber — but all of our areas within the Air Force."

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