Participation of women in Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Technology has increased recently, believe it or not. Many of them becoming inspiring leaders in the industry, as well as knowledgeable and wealthy investors.

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Although a minority in this field of interest, I believe that the key to attracting more female peers is by demystifying the terms and encouraging them to participate actively.

Female blockchain gurus and crypto-mama groups are popping up everywhere. They are inviting women to be a part of the transformational technologies that can be used to build many secure and vigorous applications that change the way systems work. Get inspired and join the revolution!

Female interest vs. male interest

We don’t need to look at statistics to find out that there is far more male engagement in worldwide crypto-communities. However, this is changing and more women are joining every day. But what could really help attract them?

I believe that if we want more women involved in the crypto and blockchain space, we need to give them the same level of public exposure and recognition as men. Let’s face it, they are frequently considered less technical and knowledgeable in anything IT related. By assuming this is true, we are limiting the female potential.

“It’s tied to the larger issue of there being few women in tech and finance generally. Given that cryptocurrency sits at the intersection, this is exacerbated.”

Says Angela Walsh in the article “All the reasons why women can be the future of cryptocurrency” by Katerina Ang.

Just like their male peers, female-led blockchain companies should receive investments from crypto investment funds in order to encourage women to create blockchain projects. Governments should incentivize them by giving grants for their projects and publically award them for their achievements.

By recognizing the success and accomplishments of female role models in Blockchain and Crypto publicly, more women will feel motivated to participate in this revolutionary technology.

This space should not be about gender, but more about appreciating all those who bring value to this technology by inspiring many others to learn about it. Education on cryptocurrency and blockchain should be more available to everyone.

Fortunately, there is a growing number of inspiring female leaders willing to share their knowledge and mentor women who are new to this space.

Let’s take a look at a few.

Awesome women in crypto and blockchain

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Caitlin Long

With 22 years of corporate finance experience, this Wall Street veteran is more than just a Blockchain and Bitcoin enthusiast. As a matter of fact, she was part of the internal blockchain working group, during the time she served at Morgan Stanley. Strong entrepreneurial involvement and the ability to communicate wisely are only some of her strong set of skills.

Inspiring leader for all of us, she received the “Women in Finance Award for Excellence in Blockchain 2016’’ by MarketsMedia. Currently, she is Chairman & president of enterprise blockchain company, Symbiont in 2016–2018, which was named FinTech Company of the Year 2017 by CustodyRisk.

To learn more, visit her website and follow her on Twitter @CaitilinLong.

I recommend reading one of her recent Blog articles on “Using blockchain to fix money and capital markets’’.

Elizabeth Stark

Have you heard of Lightning Labs? Elizabeth Stark is the co-founder and CEO of this company. They are developing the lightning network, an open second-layer protocol for Bitcoin that aims to improve scalability, reduce time and fees. To do so, it delays the broadcasting of transactions to the blockchain, by allowing for transactions to clear much faster, by respecting the principle of decentralization.

Elizabeth has an accrued interest in open source and decentralized protocols. She is an important contributor to the whole bitcoin community and has acted as an advisor to different types of startups in cryptocurrency and decentralized technology.

Pretty cool eh? Talk about a female role model!

To learn more, I’d suggest following @starkness on Twitter to get the latest news on the Lightning Network.

“The women who do have power in crypto argue that drawing attention to the gender gap will do no good. The perception that there are no women in bitcoin discourages women from getting involved,”
Elizabeth Stark, co-founder of blockchain startup Lightning Labs

Naomi Brockwell @skycorridors

This multi-talented redhead is my crypto-crush. With a background in acting, television & film producing, and even opera singing, she definitely knows how to demystify the crypto-space through a wide range of media productions.

From interviews to weekly quizzes, Naomi Brockwell’s podcasts and videos on her Youtube channel are one of the numerous ways to view and hear all about history and news in the Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency space. Naomi’s work is accessible to anyone interested in discovering more about these technologies. Her videos easily go viral!

With a colorful personality appealing to anyone of all ages, she is also the author of children’s book “Billy Bitcoin’’ and host of Austrian Economics reading group in NYC, among other interesting contributions to the crypto space.

To learn more about her, I suggest following her latest news on Twitter @naomibrockwell and subscribing to her YouTube channel.

Women in crypto are gathering

Besides the inspiring leaders in crypto I just mentioned, many other outstanding women are organizing meetups and conferences all over the world. They are attracting a load of interested women that are eager to learn about how to invest in crypto, even without a background in finance or IT.

There are also several online groups and workshops where women are gathering to discuss the newest in blockchain technology. Here is a list of some online networks and groups:

http://cryptomoms.com/
https://cryptochicks.ca/
https://diversityinblockchain.com/
#SteemitMamas Discord on www.steemit.com

As a conclusion, Blockchain & Crypto is for everyone

When we want to talk about crypto and blockchain, we should be open-minded and chase the idea that it is only a space for the white nerdy male stereotype. People everywhere should be getting involved and collaborate to carve the educational pathway for children in the emerging era of blockchain technology. I believe that the future generations will want to be a part of decentralized, transparent and fairer models of collaboration.

Bottom line, we need more women and moms giving their voice to the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency industries by contributing to a better development. Go on and invite your mother, sister, niece and all to participate in conversations. Be a part of the revolution!

And while you’re at it, how about a great soundtrack by Naomi Brockwell:

You can listen to this Blog post on my Medium profile here: https://medium.com/@jessicabellolclair/why-women-are-getting-involved-in-crypto-and-its-not-just-a-trend-42b4e5341c90