Every industry needs more smart and powerful women in them. Especially in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency, the technology industry is dominated by males. Finding women active in these sectors is not all that easy, even though quite a few females made Bitcoin possible in the first place.
Bitcoin Wouldn’t Be Possible Without Women
Although we may never know the real identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, it seems highly likely this person – or group – is male. While that may sound like gender bias, it is evident that the entire cryptocurrency industry has been dominated by males from day one. However, there are quite a few women active in this world as well, which is a more than welcome change.
People often tend to overlook the fact that a lot of women made the technology we know and love today possible. That also extends to Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies on the market today. It all began back in the late 19th century with a woman known as Ada Lovelace. For all intents and purposes, she was the world’s first computer programmer. Without her vision, we would not have the looping process found in most computer programs today. In fact, we might not have computers or programs at all.
Grace Hopper is another strong female that one shouldn’t overlook. She discovered how to program computers using COBOL. Although she wasn’t officially recognized until 1991, it is evident Grace Hopper laid the foundation for Bitcoin and other types of software on the market today. Together with Katherine Johnson, these females made a significant impact on the computer industry.
Without Jean Jennings Bartik, we would not have a fully electronic general-purpose computer. Moreover, Margaret Hamilton brought us the concept of software engineering as we know it today. She also developed software to identify enemy aircraft for the US government, which interestingly helped create an arms race of sorts in the computer division.
Other famous women in technology include Hedy Lamarr, who patented the radio frequency hopping technology now known as Bluetooth; Radia Perlman, who is considered to be the mother of the internet; and Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen, who’s got over 200 patents under her belt. In the blockchain industry, other important names include Kathryn Haun and Crystal Rose. There are a lot more women involved in technology than most people think.
The real Satoshi Nakamoto could be a woman, for all we know. Whether or not we will ever find out the truth is a different matter altogether. For now, it is safe to say all of the women mentioned above – as well as those who deserve recognition and have not been included in the infographic below – have played a role in the development of the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Without those females, Bitcoin as we know it today simply would not have been possible. We owe all of them a big thanks and a lot of gratitude.