Women in crypto open up about gender gaps and investment preferences this International Women’s Day

Women are increasing their presence in the crypto universe—image from freepik and cryptologos
Women are increasing their presence in the crypto universe—images from freepik and cryptologos

Key Takeaways:

  • On Women’s day, CoinChapter reached out to some of the leading women in the crypto space for their views regarding the future of crypto.

NEW DELHI (CoinChapter.com) — The cryptocurrency market has evolved. Cryptos have come a long way from a disruptive digital currency in 2009 to an expansive ecosystem that includes NFTs, decentralized finance protocols, altcoins, Metaverse, and more.

On International Women’s Day, CoinChapter reached out to some of the leading women in the crypto sector regarding their future holds for cryptocurrencies, the presence of women in crypto, and their preference for investing in cryptocurrencies.

On Crypto And Its Future

Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary, Managing Director at Grayscale Investments, believes digital assets solve real-world problems.

Furthermore, she said cryptos help create a more inclusive financial system, stating the sector allows the “roughly 3 billion unbanked or underbanked individuals to leapfrog the current banking infrastructure.

Moreover, Margaret Paproski, COO and Co-Founder of InvestDEFY, also highlighted crypto’s impact on financial inclusion for the unbanked. She further emphasized that the natural volatility associated with cryptos lessens as the market matures.

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Looking back, volatility has been a hindrance for many investors who wish to swim in the crypto seas. Ms. Paproski pointed out BTC’s 30-day implied volatility of 75 is 6-8 times higher than traditional G10 fiat currencies.

Additionally, as crypto markets operate 24×7, asset prices sometimes move drastically overnight. The InvestDEFY COO also noted how crypto funds usually cater to high net-worth institutional investors, suggesting the need for more market-neutral investment opportunities.

However, not everyone believes crypto is an answer to the traditional financial system’s problems. Grace Rachmany, DAO and tokenomics consultant, called cryptocurrencies a “potential stopgap” between the current financial system and the “post-extractive system of economics.

She argues that cryptocurrencies don’t have a true ecosystem in the economic sense, as they do not produce their electricity or hardware.

It is fundamentally just a speculative financial infrastructure rather than some kind of “ecosystem”,

Grace Rachmany said

Gender Gaps And Women In The Digital Space

Meanwhile, women lag when it comes to investing in cryptos, according to an August 2021 survey by CNBC and Acorn’s Invest in You: Next Gen Investor.

Furthermore, as per WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report of 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed back gender parity by an entire generation. The report states that it will now take 135.6 years to close the gender gap between men and women across various professional sectors.

Marie Tatibouet, CMO at Gate.io, said the gender disparity could hinder crypto’s growth. She pointed out that studies show how an ideal workforce must have a diverse background, with fair gender representation forming the backbone of the belief.

However, Elizabeth Teixeira, COO at Sandclock, noted that crypto helps anyone feel empowered. In addition, the permissionless nature of the space means the crypto sector accepts everyone, including women, on their performance and not on experience, gender, or beliefs.

The crypto community is full of anonymous people with no name, no resume, and no photos linked back to them. So even if biases exist, there is always an opportunity to jump into this space with a clean slate and be viewed entirely as an individual based only on the quality of your work

Elizabeth Teixeira told CoinChapter

Meanwhile, Rayhaneh stated that women are already playing a significant role in the digital economy, an “intersection of technology and finance.” She highlighted that women are making inroads significant inroads in the traditionally male-dominated fields.

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On the other hand, Ms. Rachmany believes financial trading and investing would continue to see a minority of women. In addition, she says the “vapid nature” of the crypto sector might repel female investors.

The DAO consultant also finds the concept of trading and investment as a profession outdated.

Crypto Investment Preferences

Asked if any specific sectors of the crypto market attract female investors, Rayhaneh Sharif-Askary said Bitcoin is gaining increased attention from female investors, citing the Grayscale Bitcoin Investor Study 2021.

As per the report, the number of female Bitcoin investors climbed 6% year-on-year in 2021. Margaret Paproski shared the same opinion, pointing out that most investors gain their first crypto exposure from Bitcoin or Ethereum.

crypto, Women in crypto open up about gender gaps and investment preferences this International Women’s Day
NFTs are a safe investment option, asserted Sandclock’s COO. Source: World of Women NFT project on OpenSea

On the other hand, Sandclock’s Elizabeth Teixeira insisted NFTs are the gateway for women. She argued that women had dominated the traditional art space and therefore are more likely to succeed in the digital one.

Marie Tatibouet also chose NFTs as an obvious, risk-averse investment choice for women.

The cryptocurrency market continues to evolve while retaining its identity as a disruptive technology. So naturally, the sector’s growth would translate into increased female presence from the grassroots to the leadership levels.

An inclusive digital space would help women gain more revenue streams while bringing the marginalized into the mainstream.

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