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Showing posts from January, 2014

Crypto-Patriarchy: The problem of Bitcoin's male domination

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(Note: This is based on a talk I first gave at London Bitcoin Expo 2013 ) Imagine a scenario 10 years from now in which Bitcoin has managed to establish itself as an important global currency, supported by a myriad of Bitcoin companies, trade associations, and educational institutions. Now imagine the board meetings of those organisations. What will their demographic breakdown be? Will it resemble  this , or this , or this ? It's no secret that the directorships of large FTSE 100 or S&P 500 companies are overwhelmingly dominated by men, and white men at that. This is not just due to random chance, or men's innate brilliance. This is due to our society having a lingering, systematic male bias built upon hundreds of years in which men have had the most access to job opportunities, educational opportunities, political rights, and (perhaps most importantly) cultural  encouragement  to actually seek those positions. This has helped men build capital, skills and to normalis...