Bitcoin's gender divide could be a bad sign (opens in new tab)

One thing that strikes me is how opt-in the Bitcoin space is. I started participating in forums and on r/bitcoin back in late 2012, and real names were seldom used.

It's tiring to see Bitcoin berated for being non-inclusive when there haven't been any barriers stopping women from participating — either by buying coins, starting/joining companies or participating in discussions.

And if it is true, as this article suggests, that women are less interested in Bitcoin due to the extreme risk, why are we so collectively outraged about the gender divide amongst startup employees?

edit: rather than downvote, would anyone care to discuss this?

If only there were some kind of science explaining why this might be the case, https://scholar.google.com.au/scholar?q=testosterone+risk+ta...

Of course the article is merely pointing out that bitcoin is risky business, which we all already know.

> "There are studies out there that suggest men are predisposed towards bubbles in a way that women are not."

But there are no differences between men and women (?)

I told my female coworkers about BTC in October, clearly explaining the trends and the risks, and encouraging them to play with their pocket money. They were mildly interested. In November I told them about it again; their answer was "it's too risky". In December I cashed out earning a few thousands. I told them about it, and their answer was "good for you". It was clear they are averse to risk. But is it necessarily a bad thing? I have some male friends who lost huge amounts of money, and arriving late to the party is quite risky anyway. My female coworkers just continue living normally, without worrying their savings lose value day by day.

The media is simultaneously selling both angles of course:

"Bitcoin Started With All Men. Now Crypto Is Opening to Women"

"Four out of 30 of the largest initial coin offerings this year through October had female co-founders, double the number of women leading the 30 technology companies with the largest international public offerings worldwide. Two of the female-led ICOs were among the biggest so far."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-12/bitcoin-s...

I guess Coinbase should add more pink to their UI.

This is an interesting observation, but what would the ideal gender ratio even look like?

In the software industry right now, it is still common to have teams with little to no representation of women on technical teams. The decentralized nature of crypto and lack of regulation around crypto projects means that people are free to work with whoever they like, and more often than not, men are working with other men. In terms of investing, women and men have equal opportunity (internet connection, and the urge to resist the voice in their head saying its a bubble).

The article warns of the divide being dangerous and harmful but never actually says what kind of problems it causes.

The early adopters of emerging technology are generally men.

Anything male dominated is probably a bubble then?

Eg: Construction workers Oil well jobs Anything with a lot of physical labor

?

Oh no,.. HN to the rescue, someone fix this awful sexism.