Women's interest in crypto grows, but education gap persists: Study

Even though female investors are increasingly interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, there is still a significant knowledge gap when it comes to these topics, a new study reveals.

BlockFi noted that a third-party survey panel conducted the study on Jan. 28, 2022, and included 1,031 female-identifying Americans between the ages of 18 and 65.

According to a recent study by BlockFi focused on the shifting attitudes toward cryptocurrency, 92% of the women surveyed have heard about crypto, with almost one in four (24%) already owning some. In contrast, 80% still find it difficult to understand, and 72% believe investing is too risky.

Per the study, over one-third of women intend to purchase cryptocurrency in 2022, with 60% of respondents saying they would buy crypto in the next three months.

The study points out that while wider cryptocurrency adoption is still low, the majority of female crypto owners are purchasing and HODLing. In 2022, the crypto market has already seen a lot of volatility. Still, women's confidence in long-term crypto investment is unwavering, with most women purchasing BTC (71%), DOGE (42%), and Ether (18%), the survey notes.

24% of participants own cryptocurrencies, according to the survey. Of those who possess it, 70% are HODLers, having acquired the asset but never selling it, compared to 55 percent for the market as a whole. Per the survey, almost 45% of women said they knew how to buy cryptocurrency, up from about 23% six months ago.

During an interview with Cointelegraph, Casper Labs CTO Medha Parlikar said that she hopes regulators "moving forward" will continue to allow for more women in blockchain entrepreneurship. She noted that: 

"With respect to women in tech, I think it might be a longer tail than just immediately women emerging in technology. I see that there's a strong trend towards supporting girls who code right."

Last year, a study revealed that gender equality in the crypto and blockchain industry is still a long way away. According to the April 2021 Global Gender Gap Report by WEF, it will take almost 135.6 years to close the gender gap as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, this hasn't deterred these women, who used blockchain technology and crypto to tackle various social problems. As reported by Cointelegraph, a study published in Dec. 2021 found out the number of Australian women who invested in crypto doubled over the previous year.

Related: 10 women who used crypto to make a difference in 2021

A recent survey by KuCoin indicated a more even distribution between male and female crypto users in Turkey. KuCoin found out that female investors in Turkey account for 47% of investors and 63% of crypto-curious.