Why I'm Sick of Hearing the Phrase "We Need More Women in Crypto"
Hey Guys,
Join me at the whiteboard while I talk about women in crypto. A really hot topic in the crypto space right now is the lack of women involvement in the sector. Many of you have seen the Forbes article that stated only 5-7% of those involved in the crypto space are female.
About a month ago, @theaudgirl did an awesome job bringing this topic to light and I think really got the the conversation rolling here on Steemit.(Ps... She’s awesome and you guys should all check out her page!) Lately though, I have become a bit concerned with how many people use the phrase "We need more women in crypto" without a real understanding as to why this is important.
I have even gotten some pretty misguided comments such as "You must not have to try that hard to do well here... but that's okay... I guess we need more women in crypto". The more I see comments of this nature - the more I realize the need for more education on the subject.
Vlog Notes
In this video, I discuss a variety of topics - which I've listed below. Please watch the video to get the full content from this post.
- Why there is such a big gender gap in our sector
- How the crypto space naturally appeals to a smaller segment of the overall population
- Some statistics on women in business and how more diverse teams see greater gains and overall success
- How we can meet more women in their field of interest to attract them to crypto currency
- Why Steemit is the ultimate "gateway drug" to the crypto conversation and how we can help attract more women to the crypto space
I want to touch on that last point a little bit here. Traditionally, those interested in learning more about crypto currency are probably already interested in the finance and technology sectors - which are historically male dominated. If we want to attract a more diverse group of people into the crypto space - we have to find a way to talk to them in ways that they are already interested in.
This is why Steemit has the potential to greatly impact the crypto space as a whole and attract more creative and diverse individuals. I am a perfect example of this. I really had no interest in getting involed in crytpocurrency and was only vaguely familiar with it when I joined Steemit.
I joined Steemit because I was attracted to the idea of sharing myself creatively online with such a cool community. This type of social media/content sharing platform appeals to many people who are not traditionally interested in learning more about crypto currency. By joining the platform though, it forces them to learn a little more about blockchain technology and the crypto space as a whole. Once that piece of things feels less intimidating - many will naturally become curious about other crypto topics as well and their overall involvement in the space will grow.
I hope this video has helped to answer the question of why having more women in crypto is so important - so that you can have a better understanding of the topic. I also hope that if nothing else, this video will encourage you to tell more women in your life about STEEMIT.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions on the subject in the comments below.
xo, Lea
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This post has received a 3.71 % upvote from @boomerang.
I don't know about crypto in general, but there are plenty of women on Steemit, at least from what I've seen so far.
Amazing video! I agree with you 100%. I resonate with your story so much. I am learning more and more. I do not come from a tech or finance background (far from it). I value the potential for community here on steemit and I am grateful to have stumbled upon it. It's funny how addictive it can be and not as "out there" and scary as it seemed to at first. I'm really loving it.
Thank you for this video/post as a representation for women. I think its important to highlight it. I have a female friend that is waiting on her confirmation to join. I will continue to contribute in growing the platform with more women.
After all, we are pretty awesome! :)
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I’m really glad you resonated with this post and it’s awesome to hear that you are onboarding more of your friends here on the platform. 😊
Cheers to more bad-ass women here on Steemit!
I think women need incentive to make the transition, and right now, I am not sure that Steemit or Dtube look terribly appealing to women, if women were to make a snap judgement to join based on what they were seeing trending. This is why I have been making an effort to make content that appeals to women, and represents women. Representation is important. Women seeing other women is important. If I looked at just the trending page alone, I am not sure I would even give Steemit a chance, so word of mouth and Steemit-promoted content shared on other social medias are extremely important. Also focusing on female-driven interests like lifestyle, shopping, mom-blogs etc, could also do wonders for getting women here. I feel like the devs are hyper-focused on the here and now. That's how they upvote content, to satisfy those already on here, but I think we need to branch out and think about the future and also look at developing content to draw people here! Good video!
Ahh great points my friend! It’s funny how now that I’m acclimated to the platform, it’s easy to forget that it’s still not very user friendly. I’ve been currently onboarding my sister and I’ve been reminded of this due to her learning curve on the platform.
Even the fact that I used the term “onboarding” points to the fact that getting involved is a complicated process. Great points about the trending page too. I probably wouldn’t have connected with much of that content before joining Steemit either.
I did a post the other day talking about natural remedies for cramps and before posting literally had pause because I thought, “No one is going to care about women’s health/issues here on Steemit.” Hmmmm.... kinda illustrates how male centric we still are in terms of our types of content.
Thanks for the thought provoking response!
Well freaking said! I almost wish I emphasized even more so the why it was important. I tried to but this was a great addition and what I really wanted the article to be read like. Unfortunately, people stopped at just my title and some didn't entirely grasp the points which was the WHY. I didn't want to force more women who weren't interested in crypto to join, but more so just encourage more to engage in conversation with them and relate it to things they are already interested in (since blockchain affects all areas)! I think Steemit is a great middle step into getting involved in crypto (as you mentioned!) and that's why I would love to see even more join the amazing community here!
Also, people should not focus on you doing well because "we need more women in crypto"! You post amazing content and for that reason, you get rewarded. :)
love that you focused on the WHY and thank you for this article. Well said!
You are seriously one of the most bad-ass women here on the platform and I’m so glad you got this conversation rolling.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! 😘
Coming from another bad ass woman!! That means a lot coming from you - THANK YOU! <3
If we want crypto to truly revolutionize the world, we'll need mass adoption by everyone, not just techie dudes with mining rigs and ex-Wall Street bankers. Ergo, to be truly subversive, and to bank the unbanked, A LOT of which are women especially in really oppressive societies where women aren't ALLOWED to have traditional bank accounts, we need to reach out to women. Crypto potentially can bring people out of poverty, and studies show that statistically, if you give aid to impoverished WOMEN, they invest it in their futures, their families, their kids, their business. If you give it to the men, they have a high tendency to blow it on immediate pleasures like cigarettes and sodas and booze. I think that was discussed in Half the Sky.
So yeah, if you're into short term gains, you wouldn't care. But anybody who wants crypto to truly succeed should be all about getting more women involved.
Such great points about crypto having the ability to empower women from all over the world - especially on places where they have been traditionally oppressed.
Your last sentence really hit it home. Looking at reducing the gender gap is vital to mass adoption.
Thanks for the thoughtful response!
I think it makes a lot for sustainability to have more women in the mix. Think of the opportunities they would create for themselves, the honing of skills, opportunities to learn, network, value creation etc.
In fact, if Steemit attracts more women, it opens up new opportunities.
That said, I could relate with this:
Lol. This is true. I like to think of it aa learning by accident. If you want to make full impact here, you must gradually start learning about crypto even if that wasn't your original goal.
I’m so glad you resonated with those parts! I love your comment about “learning by accident”. That’s a great way to put it!
smart and passionate women dont need the state to subsidies their profession #mariecurie
We definitely need more women in crypto because that will definitely bring more awareness to the space grow the space.
Altcoin buzz got the altcoin ladies and they are starting to produce better content than the lads:-}