Empowering women in the digital workplace: Evaluating cyber resilience frameworks in Mumbai

The rapid digitalization of workplaces has increased the exposure of working women in Mumbai to diverse cyber threats, yet the effectiveness of existing cyber education programs and the accessibility of reporting mechanisms remain uncertain. This study examines how these two elements contribute to strengthening cyber resilience—the capacity to anticipate, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents—among working women. Using a mixed-methods approach, survey data were collected from 320 women employed in the IT, finance, education, healthcare, and retail sectors, complemented by interviews with law enforcement officers, NGO representatives, and corporate HR managers. Findings show that while 72% of participants attended at least one cyber awareness session in the past year, only 28% reported exposure to gender-specific threat examples, and just 19.4% had received practical training on official reporting portals. Awareness of the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal was relatively high (65%), yet usage was low (18.4%), with complex procedures and fear of stigma cited as major barriers. The study concludes that cyber resilience can be strengthened through integrated strategies that combine targeted, practice-based education with simplified, trusted reporting systems, supported by workplace policies that encourage and protect incident reporting. These measures can enhance both individual preparedness and the collective digital safety of Mumbai's professional workforce.