A feature story was published in the New York Times recently that went into great detail about the unwelcoming “blockchain bros” culture that has been set up for women in the cryptocurrency space.
The article discusses marketing campaigns used by blockchain startups featuring sexually explicit images of women clad in bikinis. There was also a mention of the North American Bitcoin Conference held back in January, which featured 84 male speakers and only three women. And it doesn’t help that the official conference party was held at a Miami strip club. To top it all off, the article mentions that, “some studies estimate that women account for only 4 percent to 6 percent of blockchain investors.”
While all these details are unfortunately true, a number of women in the cryptocurrency and tech industry were somewhat disappointed after reading this article. By highlighting all the negative aspects for women in the crypto space, the article loses focus on what many women - and men - really want to read about, which are the accomplishments and strides being made by females in the cryptocurrency space.
Jalak Jobanputra, founder of the start-up investment firm Future Perfect Ventures, was one of the women quoted in the New York Times article. Jobanputra was recently interviewed on Laura Shin’s Unconfirmed Podcast to share her opinion on the article’s overall tone.
What I was disappointed about in the article was that we weren’t discussing the actual work that women were doing in the sector,” Jobanputra told reporter, Laura Shin. “During my 5 years of investing in the space, I’ve come across brilliant women, and more and more as time goes on who are involved in regulatory conversations and starting new companies in the sector. I’d like to see these women highlighted.
Jobanputra was just one of the many women who shared this opinion. After the article was published, Masha Drokova, Founder of Day One Ventures, told me that she disagreed with the article entirely.
The attitude towards women in the cryptocurrency space is much better then the article describes," Drokova said. "In fact, I believe that no one really cares about your gender. They only care if you are able to deliver or not. The crypto space is not about gender, but more about your energy, professionalism and speed. As a female investor and professional I never felt more appreciated and supported in any industry than in blockchain.
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