In spite of some recent efforts to bring greater equality to blockchain, there remains a significant gender imbalance in the industry. Canada, like most countries, is not making rapid progress in general for gender equality in the workplace. However, blockchain is an outlier, with greater inclusion and representation of women—and has the potential to live up to its promise as a promoter of equality and opportunity.
Coinsquare explores what’s bringing women to blockchain in Canada, their influence and impact, and some powerful up-and-comers in blockchain.
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Most businesses and industries have been male-dominated for the majority of their existence. For instance, there are more male CEOs named John than women CEOs in the S&P 1500. In the tech world specifically, gender bias and gender-based discrimination permeate the industry. Women in blockchain, then, is a topic starting to come into the broader diversity and inclusion conversation.
Canada, despite being a little better for gender equality at work, is not much further ahead. The Where’s the Dial Now? report by Move the Dial found that only 13 percent of executives at tech firms are women. In the startup world, only 13 percent of founding teams have women on them.
In blockchain, though, representation for women has generally been better than any other sub-industry within the tech world. For example, nearly half of new hires for Coinbase in 2017 were women. Both Bloomberg and Hackernoon recently reported on how this space has proportionally more female founders than any other tech industry.
It’s especially important to discuss these issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion because of how Bitcoin (the origins of this technology) began with the ideal and intent of being the “Great Equalizer.”
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