A new poll shared with Cointelegraph found that the percentage of Australian women who own crypto assets has doubled in the past year.
The Independent Reserve’s 2021 Cryptocurrency Index (IRCI) of 2000 Australians found that the number of women who currently or previously invested in cryptocurrencies rose from 10.3% in 2020 to 20% in 2021. The percentage of female Bitcoin owners also rose from 8.3% to 14.8% according to the survey.
Independent Reserve is an Australia-based cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in 2013 and has more than 200,000 users.
Karen Cohen, vice chairman of the board of directors at Blockchain Australia, said more women have entered the crypto market this year as the asset class continues to become a mainstream investment. Speaking to Cointelegraph, she said:
“I think it tells you that investing in crypto is less risky and is just one of many different ways you can invest. I think it’s kind of a signal that when a bank thinks it’s okay, they know it’s a safe place to invest. ”
Cohen cited examples like that CBA adds crypto trading options In his app at the beginning of November.
Independent Reserve co-founder Adrian Przelozny added that “over time, as cryptocurrency investments become more acceptable and mainstream, so does the perceived risk.”
He added, “I think it’s getting more women into the market.”
Research by Grayscale in 2019 showed that Women tend to be more risk averse Investors, which is often cited as the reason for the gender gap between female and male crypto investors.
ICRI also found that women were more likely to listen to families and friends about crypto. 56.7% of women surveyed said they entered the crypto market based on advice from family and friends, compared to 42.2% of men surveyed.
Cohen said, “A lot of women get referrals from their friends and family that make them feel a little more confident about getting involved.”
On the flip side, 45.9% of men said they would consider entering the crypto market because of the interest generated by media coverage, compared with 41.8% of women surveyed.
Close the gender gap
Cohen said that going forward she expects full gender parity among crypto investors to be “a while away” because it is so entangled with gender stereotypes and the way women are raised to take risks and invest to understand.
Przelozny agreed, saying there was no way he could speculate when the investment gap would be closed. He said, “I don’t know when it will be 50/50. But I think the trend is definitely going in the right direction. “
Cohen also said that users can expect “the landscape to change completely again” when metaverse and blockchain games begin to dominate the crypto market.
“Is gaming more of a boys’ club than crypto?” She asked, concluding that “nobody really knows.”
Related: How women are literally changing the face of corporate blockchain!
In last year’s IRCI report, Cohen urged decision makers in the crypto industry to include women in events and panel discussions, saying, “We are what we see”.
The IRCI is an annual cross-sectional survey of over 2,000 Australians conducted by PureProfile. Independent Reserve says its sample reflected the gender, age, and geographic distribution of the country.
