I have a theory the reason there are not many female traders…
Forex is not really advertised, still kinda new for the retail like us
Women may think it’s just glorified gambling
Women do not handle as much rejection as men do (think dating). Example, most often guys seek the women, ask for the number, ask to go out etc. This is where constant rejection comes in
Trading takes an emotional toll on all traders alike (females are already wired to be more emotional than guys)… And many females may not want to have to deal with any more emotional tolls.
Trading can be very logical and systematic (guys are more prone to use logic and think logically)
Getting paid is not guaranteed (therefore not steady and dependable to most female or male alike)
I could go on but this is a good start. I’m not downing women, nor am I trying to deter them from trading, just listing possible reasons women are not attracted to trading therefore there statistically are less of them.
Thank you for the comments, everyone… Unfortunately I do not have hard facts to add to the thread, and I already made my point clear further up it. The greatest problem is that there are not enough female role models in this sector to attract young women to it: there seems to be an enormous supply of male traders on online resources (eg trading videos), who then attract male traders, who then become trainers in turn…and a cycle is thus formed. As one who once worked in an all female environment, I know how it can feel (in reverse), to be the odd one out, to be in the minority: however, I hope that companies will do more in this sense, so that aspiring traders can look up and see that the top levels are not solely occupied by men. Until women like Mary Barra, Christine Lagarde, Sheryl Sandberg, and Janet Yellen become a familiar sight, and until men are encouraged to spend more time at home, for example, with their children (a huge topic in itself), then we cannot truly say that the financial world is ‘open to women’. Cheers.
Jason Rogers, if you are listening in, would you be able to find out what the female-to-male ratio of FXCM’s retail traders was in the last, say, financial year? Thank you.
Women by nature are conservative and tend to have better emotional control. Men are more spontaneous and Hunter oriented, an evolutionary flaw in today’s world. In fact there are many sociological schools of thought that say our entire society is modelled to suit the female mind set. E.g. sales is now subtle and no longer in your face like the masculine post war years of Xerox salesmen. The same can be seen in domestic life and govt. policy. In this case I won’t speak US since they can’t even vote a female president although I am being unfair to Obama who was clearly suited (debatable I know).
In light of that women have outperformed men in all works life and this is set to continue as the world globalizes and gets over the gulf that exists between ethnicities and races. Banking culture will have to change for women to take that arena but the bad news is that the industry will continue attract undesirables both male and female as the environment is still one of cahuna wagging. Off putting for any descent female and no bank wants to be conservative despite what they will have us believe.
Yeah, voting in a president who has done his best to destroy this country was America’s best suited option. Lol, I just couldn’t contain myself. You know to be honest, I don’t like either party period and will voting independent 2014. A women world? I have see that theory all around the web. It’s very well suited for the alpha male if that’s the case, all the beta’s fall for the bs everyone tells them growing up. What I don’t understand is why females say things such as: “I want someone who is always there, dependable, caring, sweet, and loyal.” Ha, that’s why they date Aholes! Very logical women. Gotta love it. You know if women treated the market the same way they treated the beta males, example: use them, toy with there emotions, keep them on a leash… I think women would kill the market all together and be extremely profitable!
[QUOTE=“emeraldorc;618539”]Women by nature are conservative and tend to have better emotional control. Men are more spontaneous and Hunter oriented, an evolutionary flaw in today’s world. In fact there are many sociological schools of thought that say our entire society is modelled to suit the female mind set. E.g. sales is now subtle and no longer in your face like the masculine post war years of Xerox salesmen. The same can be seen in domestic life and govt. policy. In this case I won’t speak US since they can’t even vote a female president although I am being unfair to Obama who was clearly suited (debatable I know). In light of that women have outperformed men in all works life and this is set to continue as the world globalizes and gets over the gulf that exists between ethnicities and races. Banking culture will have to change for women to take that arena but the bad news is that the industry will continue attract undesirables both male and female as the environment is still one of cahuna wagging. Off putting for any descent female and no bank wants to be conservative despite what they will have us believe.[/QUOTE]
I hate to admit this but you sound very beta. Do you know what women are actually attracted too (at least the attractive well sought after ones)? The exact characteristics you call flaws. Spontaneous, hunter oriented men. And I Don’t mean they have to be hunters, I mean they are hunters in finding exactly what they want, do not settle for less, and are not predictable (not extremely, use some rationality here). So this is a flaw in today’s society? Coooommon man! If you eliminate these characteristics from males what difference are males to females?
I am married (I refrain from using words such as happily) and have been for over a decade. The age of feminism has made women into hunters as well as careful hunters. We only have to look at the UK’s most successful businesses (by this I mean Dollar successful, not size) they are all owned by women for those of us who peer into Dragons Den and Bloomberg’s female CEO’s you get the picture. These women not only show incredible drive but also a sense prowess, in many species including Lions, the females hunt and the males defend the pride usually in groups. Humans are the exception with men being hunter gatherers and women being the ones who trade (you know what) for security. This is definitely an evolutionary throw back and surely has no real meaning in today’s environment. In fact there is a well known author Christopher Ryan who makes this point very well and it is this human only exception that led to monogamy and women being labeled as the weaker sex, having being married for so long and dated all kinds of females I strongly disagree with this description of women.
To answer the question, there are no differences in ability between male and female, there are differences in social traits and physicality (debatable if you have ever fought Gina Carano ) but besides that there are no differences, this is what makes the world so scary for the chauvinistic male. If we used more smarts and less pack (herd) mentality then we would be the dominant gender. Women have no need for pack mentality as evolution has not afforded women this opportunity (who doesn’t hate the girlfriend’s best pal and love the boyfriend’s best mate). Men of course are the original pack animals, the simple reason why Mark Z the loneliest guy on the block ends up with the biggest social network in history and 500m+.
So yes strip that (risky go getter attitude) away we won’t have any differences and we will better for it.
Very nice rally. The evidence you use to support your argument is valid, no argument there. But I still speak the sad truth of most Americanized women. I’m sure we have all gotten burned and used before. However I will not fall victim to a pretty smile accompanied with a nice body and hidden intentions if possible. Beauty can quite often be evil xD.
Hi PipMeHappy, while I don’t have that stat for you, needless to say, a much larger percentage of traders are male. If I had to guess, I would say the female-to-male ratio on this forum is probably an accurate reflection of the overall distribution.
[QUOTE=“Jason Rogers;619360”] Hi PipMeHappy, while I don’t have that stat for you, needless to say, a much larger percentage of traders are male. If I had to guess, I would say the female-to-male ratio on this forum is probably an accurate reflection of the overall distribution.[/QUOTE]
Lol. This is hilarious. I read the article. What would be more interesting to find out about is how many attractive female traders successfully trade the foreign exchange! Now that would be a great read. It’s the one profession that beauty will not give you an advantage or edge. Doesn’t matter how cunning, seductive, or selective you are… The market simply doesn’t care! Got to love it. I love how trading takes all physical qualities, and speaking skills that are normally advantages in other industries off the table (I’m not saying I am unattractive lol). Instead, the market prizes conceptual ability, mental strength, fortitude, and skill. It pays for these characteristics. Good looks won’t get you paid!
I research, read articles and combine it with own words about what a GOOD “Female Traders” are and their characteristics. I post these on my old thread and I thought I should post it here as well…just for fun
[I]Female traders…ha! yah right. Yeah, I know I can feel your doubt about this (to some alpha male out there) but just hold on your horses and see if female have these traits to become a successful traders as well.
So lets take a look at what are the key personality traits of a successful trader.
1.) The ability to stay focused.
2.) Remain calm under pressure.
3.) Adapt to new information and trends.
4.) Use their initiative.
5.) The ability to do multi-tasking (I just add this …just because )
As with many aspects of wealth appreciation, an individual’s success in trading depends
Significantly on their psychology and mind-set. Although, regardless of how much experience
someone has or how much money they’ve previously made, anyone is capable of making bad
calls in their trades.
So what separate us female traders to the men and why we can be better traders than them? Though, not “all” females can be better traders. There are always exceptions to the rule. There are those females that do not want to deal with finances (personal or business) and the financial markets as a whole and want to have males handle this fancy job…
First, Female do not worry all that much about things that are not in their control. Naturally focus on the objective information (what is real) the Key in successful trading. In trading, it is the objective and logical mindset that gets paid from the subjective emotional mindset. When trading opportunity arises and it is time to take action (aka. pull the trigger), the female mindset tends naturally to execute the trade that has planned out (homework). Female mind has the naturally logical mindset needed to understand the material quickly. Male mindset has difficulty keeping things simple, naturally trying to complicate the process.
An example would be to constantly add subjective indicators and oscillators (if you ever use this) that can lead to trouble for any trader. Men also tend to be focused on trying to predict the future whereas a woman uses simple logic to consistently make the correct choice. They have the natural ability to keep things
objective, simple and logical. The man tends to have trouble in these areas, which can make trading for him more difficult than it has to be.
Second, what makes women more successful is the fact that they don’t have the “alpha male complex”. One of the main problems in men was that trading for men was mostly about being better than other men (an alpha male competition) and this led men to take unnecessary risks and to feel extremely bad when they didn’t make extraordinary gains. Women, on the other hand, tend to lack this urge to compete, focusing much more on whether or not they are doing things right rather than on whether or not they are doing things better than someone else.
Third, women in general tend to much more risk averse than men. Certainly women tend to risk less and to take higher probability setups, meaning that they are much more careful with their money and less likely to have more account wipeouts than men on their learning process.
Forth, although the tools are generally the same, women tend to have a much easier grasp at interconnecting several different aspects of the market. Since their brain seems to be better overall at forming connections between different matters, women are better at watching the “whole picture” while men tend to get stuck in small details which do not allow them to see what is happening overall.
Many men would also think that women have a harder time dealing with the emotional side of trading (since they are generally thought to be much more emotional) but the truth is that this is far from the case and in most cases women are more emotional but much MORE emotionally intelligent than men…ehem Since women are in general more in touch with the way in which they feel about things they tend to handle their emotions better and make less stupid mistakes based on the way in which a trade or a trading result makes them feel.
Why women tend to avoid becoming traders? The answer seems to lie on the fact that women tend to choose to do things which have more meaning besides the intent to make money. Those who do tend to have very money-oriented personalities and a very strong idea of being better than men at this. That said, it seems that women who become traders have a set of very specific goals and mindset which are not very common amongst other female in general. Of course it is true that this may change as the success of women in trading becomes more well known and it would definitely be great if women became a much larger part of the overall trading community.
So although the above advantages against men do not apply to all women (nor the problems to all men) traders hold the upper hand when talking about succeeding in trading. Their lack of an “alpha male complex”, their higher emotional intelligence and their ability to see and connect things beyond what men can do in most cases is what makes women such good candidates for becoming excellent traders ().
If the main driven for men to become successful in trading are Money, Power, and Women, so are the main motivation to us female to become successful at this? Money, Sense of Security…and …and a life time of shopping ? Hmmm…I am not exactly sure. I have to think about this one…
[/I]
References: Who Makes a Better Trader, Men or Women? | The Options Insider
ader/1739.article
Women in Trading: Why They Rarely Do It and Why They Are Better At It | Mechanical Forex
better-at-it.html
[QUOTE=“PipNRoll;619981”]I research, read articles and combine it with own words about what a GOOD “Female Traders” are and their characteristics. I post these on my old thread and I thought I should post it here as well…just for fun ___________________________________________________ Female traders…ha! yah right. Yeah, I know I can feel your doubt about this (to some alpha male out there) but just hold on your horses and see if female have these traits to become a successful traders as well. So lets take a look at what are the key personality traits of a successful trader. 1.) The ability to stay focused. 2.) Remain calm under pressure. 3.) Adapt to new information and trends. 4.) Use their initiative. 5.) The ability to do multi-tasking (I just add this …just because ) As with many aspects of wealth appreciation, an individual’s success in trading depends Significantly on their psychology and mind-set. Although, regardless of how much experience someone has or how much money they’ve previously made, anyone is capable of making bad calls in their trades. So what separate us female traders to the men and why we can be better traders than them? Though, not “all” females can be better traders. There are always exceptions to the rule. There are those females that do not want to deal with finances (personal or business) and the financial markets as a whole and want to have males handle this fancy job… First, Female do not worry all that much about things that are not in their control. Naturally focus on the objective information (what is real) the Key in successful trading. In trading, it is the objective and logical mindset that gets paid from the subjective emotional mindset. When trading opportunity arises and it is time to take action (aka. pull the trigger), the female mindset tends naturally to execute the trade that has planned out (homework). Female mind has the naturally logical mindset needed to understand the material quickly. Male mindset has difficulty keeping things simple, naturally trying to complicate the process. An example would be to constantly add subjective indicators and oscillators (if you ever use this) that can lead to trouble for any trader. Men also tend to be focused on trying to predict the future whereas a woman uses simple logic to consistently make the correct choice. They have the natural ability to keep things objective, simple and logical. The man tends to have trouble in these areas, which can make trading for him more difficult than it has to be. Second, what makes women more successful is the fact that they don’t have the “alpha male complex”. One of the main problems in men was that trading for men was mostly about being better than other men (an alpha male competition) and this led men to take unnecessary risks and to feel extremely bad when they didn’t make extraordinary gains. Women, on the other hand, tend to lack this urge to compete, focusing much more on whether or not they are doing things right rather than on whether or not they are doing things better than someone else. Third, women in general tend to much more risk averse than men. Certainly women tend to risk less and to take higher probability setups, meaning that they are much more careful with their money and less likely to have more account wipeouts than men on their learning process. Forth, although the tools are generally the same, women tend to have a much easier grasp at interconnecting several different aspects of the market. Since their brain seems to be better overall at forming connections between different matters, women are better at watching the “whole picture” while men tend to get stuck in small details which do not allow them to see what is happening overall. Many men would also think that women have a harder time dealing with the emotional side of trading (since they are generally thought to be much more emotional) but the truth is that this is far from the case and in most cases women are more emotional but much MORE emotionally intelligent than men…ehem Since women are in general more in touch with the way in which they feel about things they tend to handle their emotions better and make less stupid mistakes based on the way in which a trade or a trading result makes them feel. Why women tend to avoid becoming traders? The answer seems to lie on the fact that women tend to choose to do things which have more meaning besides the intent to make money. Those who do tend to have very money-oriented personalities and a very strong idea of being better than men at this. That said, it seems that women who become traders have a set of very specific goals and mindset which are not very common amongst other female in general. Of course it is true that this may change as the success of women in trading becomes more well known and it would definitely be great if women became a much larger part of the overall trading community. So although the above advantages against men do not apply to all women (nor the problems to all men) traders hold the upper hand when talking about succeeding in trading. Their lack of an “alpha male complex”, their higher emotional intelligence and their ability to see and connect things beyond what men can do in most cases is what makes women such good candidates for becoming excellent traders (). If the main driven for men to become successful in trading are Money, Power, and Women, so are the main motivation to us female to become successful at this? Money, Sense of Security…and …and a life time of shopping ? Hmmm…I am not exactly sure. I have to think about this one… References: Who Makes a Better Trader, Men or Women? | The Options Insider http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/b…f-the-woman-tr ader/1739.article Women in Trading: Why They Rarely Do It and Why They Are Better At It | Mechanical Forex better-at-it.html Read more: http://forums.babypips.com/newbie-island/56499-talk-me-8.html#ixzz2yWdSmHzC[/QUOTE]
I’m sure a lot of females have these qualities ,
Probably to most females trading dose not catch there interest . But most ladies I met that trade fx are much older and some of them very successful most of them .
Very good points though I would have say gender Dose not matter when it comes to FX IMO ,
I haven’t finished reading all that. It’s a lot. But I do have to say… Females are no more logical than males. Maybe you as a trader think more logically than other females. But that statement is not true over all. Women are naturally wired to be more emotional than men.
