
Women don’t like the world of cryptocurrencies. The British want to change this
Only a fifth of investors in the cryptocurrency market are women. Women are less willing to invest in crypto assets, but they also rarely associate their careers with this industry. This is another sector – after finance and technology – where women are underrepresented. The British organization Women in Blockchain Talks is fighting to increase this representation. Warsaw is one of the five cities in the world where its branches will be opened this year. The goal of the Polish delegation is to educate industry leaders and encourage more women to join them.
- The cryptocurrency industry lacks diversity. Data from the technology and finance industries show that women are underrepresented in this sector. When it comes to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, the percentage of women ranges from 7% to 12%, although the situation has improved in some respects over the past few years. However, there is still a lot to be done in terms of increasing this percentage, representing women and creating opportunities for their participation in this industry,” emphasizes Lavinia D. Osborne, founder of Women in Blockchain Talks, in an interview with Newseria Innovation.
Women in Blockchain Talks is the UK’s largest community and networking platform focused on blockchain technology. The initiators of the platform declare openness for each gender. In early October, a regional branch of this organization was established in Warsaw.
- The purpose of our department is first of all to create leaders, women who will find themselves in this field, and to provide them with a place where they can meet and cooperate in a favorable atmosphere. We will organize different events with different speakers because it is important to be represented. If someone identifies with the person performing on stage, they are more motivated and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can too.” “Within our open online community, you can connect with people from all over the world,” explains Lavinia D. Osborne. – The cryptocurrency and blockchain industry is attractive to women because its key aspect is its decentralization, the rejection of actors who decide who can be part of it and who can not. Often there are fewer women and less diversity in different industries because there is someone who decides about access to them. In the case of blockchain, no one decides whether to invite us to the table or not. Here, as women, we ourselves can set up this table and put chairs next to it.
The data provided by cryptocurrency broker Coin Rivet shows that only one in five cryptocurrency owners is a woman. The survey was conducted in March this year. from BlockFi (“Real Talk: Women x Crypto 2.0”) showed this, albeit 92 percent. American women have heard of cryptocurrencies, but 24% have them. respondents. 45 percent know how to buy cryptocurrencies – this is twice as many as in the survey from September last year. About 30 percent of such investments are planned for this year. mr. Every fifth respondent admitted that he believes that cryptocurrencies will help him achieve his financial goals.
As the perception of the investment potential of cryptocurrencies changes, the perception of the professional potential of this market may also change. So far, every tenth American believes that it is promising for her, and 15 percent. interested in a career in this industry.
- We need more women in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry because women make up half of the world’s population. Similarly, there is also a lack of diversity in traditional industries such as finance and technology, and this lack affects the results obtained. Firms with diversity outperform those that neglect this aspect. We women bring a different perspective. It is very important that there are initiatives to ensure that women are represented throughout the industry, whether in the field of NFT, blockchain or Web3, adds the founder of Women in Blockchain Talks.
In addition to the opening of the Warsaw branch of Women in Blockchain Talks under the leadership of Agnieszka Marecka, this year the organization will also start working in other cities around the world: Barcelona (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Dubai (UAE) and Karachi, Pakistan).
- I am of the opinion that you need to reach out to people with knowledge. We should be where the women are. So if we can create global affiliates and invite women into a safe and supportive space, then I think we can bring more women and diverse groups into the blockchain-crypto-Web3 space,” concludes Lavinia D. Osborne.
The start of the Warsaw initiative took place during one of the October meetings within the framework of the “Meeting on Thursday”. This is a cyclical event organized by the Venture Café Warsaw Foundation, which gathers the community of innovators every Thursday at Varso at 73 Chmielna Street.