The cryptocurrency and blockchain business is a male-dominated industry, and however, women have been slowly entering the space in the past couple of years. One session that stood out was In the “Women in Crypto” session in Token2049 Singapore. Irene Zhao (Co-Founder of So-Col), Annabelle Huang (Managing partner of Amber Group), and Gracy Chen (Managing Director of Bitget) spoke about their experiences and what they believe is the future of females in this space.

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Rise of Women in Crypto

There is an increasing number of women in the crypto and Web3 industry today. Flexibility allowed by remote work empowers women to work in the space while still spending time with their families. The rise of NFT also significantly attracts more females into the space due to its more approachable and creative nature. Social media is essential to growth in crypto, and women are joining the industry as KOLs and influencers now more than ever.

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In traditional finance, there’s a massive barrier to entry for women, so the relatively new crypto industry appeals to many females. While women's roles in crypto now are somewhat limited to business roles, this trend is slowly changing as more women are gaining leadership and potentially in more technical roles. As the industry evolves and branches out, there will be more opportunities for women who process different skills to join the industry.

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Being a Woman in Crypto

Women have always carried social expectations and are more exposed to gender biases than men. There is a classic notion that “Smart women are not pretty, and pretty women are not intelligent”, which unfortunately persists even among professional women in crypto and other industry heavily dominated by men. Gracy talked about the stereotype she faced when trying to raise funds, saying that some people said they would not invest in a company run by women who are not married or have children by a certain age.

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The three panelists agreed that these challenges motivated them to work even more complexly and proved to everyone that they could be successful, exceptionally talented, and beautiful. Being a woman also helps them draw in their soft skills or emotions that are usually female-driven, such as empathy, to improve their work performance. The combination of soft and hard skills is an ability that women should take advantage of.

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Future of Females in Crypto

The future is looking bright as more women join the crypto industry. Having diverse leadership is essential, as most leadership positions are held by men. Everyone agreed that we all need to build a community to empower women and aim to be role models for other women to look up to.

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