Even in the 21st century, where equality and diversity are usually encouraged in every industry, women have been left behind in cryptocurrency. Research by CNBC says that there are twice as many men (16%) investing in cryptocurrency as women (7%). The good news is that women-led initiatives are growing and providing mentorship and education to spike women’s interest in crypto and encourage inclusiveness.
Lavinia Osbourne runs a platform called Women in blockchain talks (WiBT), which was launched in 2019. The main objectives of WiBT are to amplify the voices of women in the space, promote diversity and inclusivity, provide education, and provide opportunities for event networking.
CryptoChicks is a non-profit educational organization based in Canada founded by Natalia Ameline and Elena Sinelnikova that offers mentorship in blockchain for women globally. The company also co-founded the Metis platform, which helps businesses transition to blockchain without coding.
In the exclusive interviews with CryptoChicks co-founder Sinelnikova and the CEO of Women in Blockchain Talks, DailyCoin investigated the upcoming projects and events that could put women on the right path to begin their careers in blockchain.
Cryptocurrency Lacks Women Enthusiasts
“Probably about 10% of the whole world knows about blockchain,” Osbourne explained.
“Much more people might have heard about crypto but are not in it. Within that 10%, there’s maybe 3% of women and the majority, 7%, are men. There is still no balance, perhaps, because women are generally pushed away from finance and STEM (science, tech, engineering, and maths) and are pushed towards marketing and soft skills.” CryptoChicks co-founder also agreed that blockchain lacks female devotees, but the number is increasing:
“When we started CryptoChicks in 2016, there were almost no women in the blockchain space. We rarely met another woman during the blockchain conference. Nowadays, we meet a lot of them, so gender distribution is slowly improving, and we are super happy about it,” Sinelnikova told DailyCoin.
Encouraging Women to Join Blockchain
WiBT has launched an inclusivity and diversity campaign to attract 50,000 women into blockchain by 2023. The objective is to invite women who aren’t already in the crypto industry (who heard about crypto, are interested in it, but are looking for a pathway). The campaign will help people to navigate the blockchain space, and the pathway will show them how to get started.
“I think it's very important to us to create these sorts of initiatives to show people, there is a pathway, there is a platform, and there is a person who wants to show them how to get involved in the crypto space. The only real cost is their time,” Osbourne shared.
Women in Blockchain Talks has also launched an ebook called “What Has Blockchain Got To Do With Me” about how to get involved in the crypto industry.
CryptoChicks is running an incubator Hatchery (online event kicks off on November 4) for women that are building their blockchain businesses. The initiative is organizing online and in-person hackathons (event to assist women in blockchain and AI technologies) and has opened up online courses for women through the CryptoChicks Academy.
“The Metis project is one of the projects that we are very passionate about at the moment. We have a grand plan to help non-blockchain companies, we call them Web2, to integrate with blockchain (Web3) without spending money on expensive developers,” the CEO of CryptoChicks underlined.
Organizations already can come and create their own decentralized companies on blockchain with one click of a button, and CryptoChicks are working on extending the functionality further to allow companies to create their own decentralized applications on Ethereum without coding, create their own crypto in one click of a button, and attract investors and users on blockchain.
Women Might Be More Enticed by NFTs
In the imminent future, WiBT will be launching its female-centric NFT marketplace called Crypto Kweens that advocates women empowerment and global equality. The objective is to show people (or women in particular) that there is a space where they can be represented and can be supported in their endeavors. Osbourne believes NFTs could be appealing to women:
“I’m seeing a lot more women coming into the tech industry. Still, one of the reasons why I'm quite excited about NFTs is because I think they're a more soft-skilled way of attracting and bringing women into the crypto space.”
Making Blockchain Inclusive
Members of WiBT are not all women. It’s female-focused and female-led but open to all genders. It’s all about including everyone, Osbourne said.
“The key thing about Women in Blockchain talks is that we're growing because blockchain is growing. Blockchain is the metaverse, and I don't want women to be left behind. I want people of all races, cultures, and genders to come into space and plant their flag, and if they can't find a seat at a table, create their table because with blockchain you don't have to ask anyone's permission to come to blockchain.”
On The Flipside
- Even though statistics show more men investing in crypto, women are quickly catching up.
- Initiatives devoted to education are gaining popularity and bringing more women into the crypto space.
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