This is an opinion editorial by Tali Lindberg, co-founder of Free Market Kids, a company focused on financial literacy and Bitcoin education.
Author’s note: This is a politically incorrect article because I’m about to make gross generalizations about men and women. If you get angry easily, you probably won’t read.
When I first entered the Bitcoin space, I met a woman who asked me if I was interested in starting a Bitcoin meetup with a woman.
“I wish there was one,” he said.
At the time, I was a bit offended by the idea.
“Bitcoin is already a small space, why do we want to separate men and women?” I was surprised.
Since then, my heart has changed.
Having attended many Bitcoin events in different cities and states, I have noticed that women always outnumber men… by a lot! I estimate that 80% to 90% of the people I meet in the Bitcoin space are men.
This is a problem.
Women have the power to shape the future leaders of this world through their close bonds with their children. A child born this year may enter adulthood in a world where fiat currency is a thing of the past, and bitcoin is the global, digital currency.
This timeline, however, would not have been possible without the buy-in of many women.
In this article, I will discuss what I have observed and make some recommendations on how to effectively introduce Bitcoin to more women.
Truth vs. Stories
If you ask my husband what he thinks about the state of the economy, he will immediately come up with the facts about how our market is not free and how the government picks winners and losers. He will go on and on about zombie companies, malinvestment, how much the Federal Reserve inflates the money supply and how the chairman manipulates interest rates, and more.
If you ask me the same question, on the other hand, I will mention some of our elderly neighbors, and go into great detail about a recent conversation I had with a retired grandmother: Standing in the heat that day next to the chickens as they pecked loudly and aggressively at their food, we discussed the challenges of protecting our chickens from predators and growing a garden, even though neither of us is into farming.
(I sense some of you are losing patience with me as you read this. Get to the point, why don’t you? What does this have to do with the question? Oh, wait, I’m going there!)
We talked at length about rising prices and how raising chickens and growing gardens are our ways of hedging against crazy grocery store price hikes. I will tell you that she and her husband are on a fixed income and about her concern that, with the way things are going, one day soon she won’t be able to buy enough groceries to keep from starving.
In my mind, this is what the “state of our economy” means — the stories of the people. And in the presence of men, even though they are friendly, welcoming and very encouraging, I still feel the pressure to cut through the details and “get to the point.” On the other hand, in the presence of women, telling people’s stories is often natural and easy because that is how many women bring out important topics.
This is a big difference between men and women: men usually get the facts, and women talk.
Cigarettes And Whiskey Vs. Tea And Biscuits
My husband and I are on a mission to bring Bitcoin education to homeschoolers. In all the conversations we had, our experience was that 90% of the women said the same thing: “I don’t understand Bitcoin, I don’t think I will. My husband is in charge in financial and investment decisions.”
Why should women, who are equally educated and intelligent as their spouses, leave this very important knowledge in the care of men? Dare I say it’s because Bitcoin education materials and learning environments tend to lean heavily on the way men communicate?
Maybe we need a girl-to-girl approach. Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that women are incapable of understanding technical and factual information in the same way that men are. Both genders are equally capable. However, in our pursuit of equality, we must not forget the fact that men and women are different not only biologically but also in the way they perceive and interact with the world.
When men get together, they often exchange quick pleasantries and get right down to business. At the end of such a meeting, everyone feels satisfied. Most women in similar scenarios, however, do not feel satisfied. Gotta visit first, ask about each other’s weeks, how the kids are doing and any challenges we face during the week. We exchange stories and empathize to show that we care. To quote the famous sales guru Zig Ziglar, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Aren’t we all marketers trying to sell the idea of Bitcoin? Maybe we can take a page from Ziglar’s book.
Why Vs. WHAT
When I first tried reading Bitcoin due to my husband’s obsessive leanings, I found it very frustrating. There are many books on the market, many podcasts and many YouTube videos explaining Bitcoin. However, until I understand why Bitcoin is important to me personally, I would rather do something else with my precious free time.
Charts and graphs and angry rants about the political landscape or the corrupt system won’t convince me. Although these issues annoy me, I usually put them down to things I can’t do. My schedule is already full of more things to do than time to do it. However, if you tell me a human story about someone who faced hardship and difficult consequences because of the flaws in our monetary system, then my anger at injustice will drive me to do the need to research and learn how bitcoin is an alternative currency, no. just a risky speculation or possibly a wild gamble.
To reach women in general, we need to focus on telling good stories about the “why” of Bitcoin.
It is not my intention to suggest that male and female Bitcoiners cannot benefit from the same meetups or educational materials. Our society today is obsessed with labeling everyone with a vague name that separates them from each other. I don’t want to play that game. I suggest that if we are conscious of the audience we are trying to reach, maybe we can do our message in a different way to more successfully reach our point.
Here’s an example of how women view men talking about the why of Bitcoin — my niece drew the following comic strip to highlight what she learned after listening to a Bitcoin podcast:
I wonder how different the comic strip would look if two women were doing the podcast, even if they were talking about the same topics and coming to the same conclusions as the podcast hosts I was listening to. nephew.
Here are some suggestions based on my personal experiences in reaching precoiner girls:
One: Fury Mama Bear!
Tell personal stories to share Why in Bitcoin. Following the story I shared earlier in this article about elderly retirees, most people would feel sorry for them who have to work in the hot sun every day to grow their own food. But if you explain to a young mother lovingly and protectively holding her newborn baby to her breast that the coming hyperinflation means that her child will grow up to be in the same situation, it should be to literally work in the field for food, you have triggered the most powerful force on earth: the instinct of a mother to protect her children. Now you have a motivated individual who is willing to do whatever it takes to learn about this crazy thing called Bitcoin.
Second: Hosting Women’s Events
Remember that book “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus”?
We have to accept who we are. Diversity is good, just as specialization is a positive force in the truly free markets. Marketing a new and mysterious idea like Bitcoin can only be effective with customized messaging and delivery methods to reach different target audiences.
Recognize that women and men interact differently and feel comfortable in different environments. When women talk to women, we have more freedom to express ourselves with an ease that is not as readily available in a co-ed gathering. This is not to say that men and women cannot talk to each other, but some conversations may feel more comfortable woman to woman.
Three: Less is More
Don’t spew facts and charts and numbers on a female precoiner. You can’t “logic” women with Bitcoin. You need to emotionally attract women to Bitcoin. Ask about their lives and concerns and give them enough time to fully share.
Saying less is more persuasive than saying more. Let the conversation develop naturally to the point where they ask the first questions. That’s when you know the floor is yours. Share in small pieces. Maintain a low time preference mentality.
I hope this article will help male Bitcoiners communicate more effectively with women and find its way to female Bitcoiners who are willing to work together to reach other women in a way that only we can: women to the woman.
This is a guest post by Tali Lindberg. The opinions expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.
