The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #BreakTheBias, so Cointelegraph spoke to 10 blockchain industry leaders about their experiences with women on Web3 and gathered their advice. Of barriers to entry into irreplaceable icons and role models, the following comments come from women in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia.
When asked about the current barriers that women might face when considering a career in cryptocurrency, Dr. Cagla Gul Sinkardis, co-founder of the Istanbul-based Blockchain Women’s Association and lecturer at Bilgi University in Istanbul, replied, “Biasing.”
From a more academic perspective, Senkarde’s gender bias and culturally constructed ideologies in the context of crypto-feminism see the concept of having to choose between following the general expectations of women and finding new paths in cryptography, and not doing either.
“The masculine construction of the professional and symbolic language leads to fusion at a point far from competence and skill. From this point of view, it would be appropriate to discuss the debate over hidden feminism versus male-dominated culture.”
Jackie Rose, Head of Institutional Business Development at Blockchain.com, shared a similar opinion about confusing “jargon” or buzzwords like “meme coin” or “Web3” that seem cryptic enough to distract someone from moving on. Investigation. Through traditional financial expertise, Rose found cryptocurrency to be an “attractive environment” in which her female colleagues became an “invaluable resource.”
“In the US, where most people have access to traditional banking, cryptocurrency is often seen as a gamble rather than an investment. … New and confusing, and the way it is portrayed in the media is very negative.”
The women interviewed’s most common response to potential obstacles was a lack of financial and technological education, special skills, or sometimes the necessary years of experience. Daniela Henao Moreno, CEO of Defy Trends, a Miami-based women-led startup, noted that there is a lack of access to vacancies because many crypto jobs tend to go public via Telegram or word of mouth rather than being posted. . On message boards and popular workplaces.
Aurora Galvez, co-founder of Leonod, a French development agency specializing in cryptography and distributed technologies, raised another issue: representation.
“Women, when present, act more as a show to reassure investors and raise the confidence index of the enterprise. In this environment, it is difficult to advertise yourself as a legal expert.”
Gálvez acknowledged that women are increasingly attending events and participating in multiple projects, but both men and women must have a “voice” for the blockchain world to “find a balance.” When asked if she thinks NFTs can be seen as a gateway for women to enter crypto, Galvez replied that the NFT space is an “illusory phenomenon,” warning that “the NFT discovery of crypto assets can be misleading,” but, nonetheless, she is. It can “become a source of innovation and value creation”.
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The person with the most optimistic view of NFTs is Vengi, musician and founder of Nyan Heroes NFT, who has “only a positive experience so far” as a female blockchain game developer.
“Many projects are based on culture, art and creativity, and creators can be rewarded for their work. I think more and more women are taking control of their financial education and learning about cryptocurrency in terms of investing.
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Wenge added that the more women become familiar with NFTs and other hard-line concepts, the more women are likely to be taken more seriously and the less likely they will be objected. Similarly, Bineta Ngom, a blockchain project manager from Senegal, also known on social media as Mama Bitcoin, considers NFTs an investment vehicle. Its stars started hunting for bitcoin because they “had nothing to lose”.
“NFTs can be of interest to women, especially in Africa, who are very active and always looking for ways to increase their money. They often invest in tontines, so why not NFTs, and at the same time they want to learn about the crypto world.
Cointelegraph also spoke to Fiorella Scantamburlo in Argentina, head of communications for POAP, a proof-of-presence protocol that features digital brands representing traffic in the form of NFTs. Scantamburlo has shared that since her time in POAP, she has “completely” believed in the power of NFTs.
