2 years ago
With much than 73,000 Twitter followers, Mónica Taher is an influential thought person focused connected idiosyncratic finance, manner and entrepreneurship, who is passionate astir empowering women successful El Salvador and internationally done Bitcoin.
As a native of San Salvador and exertion and economical planetary affairs advisor for El Salvador’s commercialized investments secretariat, Taher has played a important relation successful guiding her state to pb the satellite successful Bitcoin adoption. In this exclusive interrogation for Bitcoin Magazine, she shared her thoughts connected the large representation of Bitcoin adoption specifically for women successful El Salvador, arsenic good arsenic worldwide.
Taher (center) starring a sheet astatine LaBitConf. Photo credit: @Bitcoin4Couples.
What taste barriers support women from thriving successful the Bitcoin space?
If you look astatine numbers successful the U.S. wrong the exertion ecosystem, lone 24% of those radical hap to beryllium women, truthful it is conscionable a effect that we’re going to person akin numbers for Bitcoin.
For america successful El Salvador and successful immoderate different Latin American society, we besides person different origin that impedes women from competing astatine the aforesaid level with men: machismo. It does exist, we cannot contradict it. It's precise hard to penetrate an country that is traditionally antheral dominated due to the fact that we're besides talking astir the concern and banking industries, which are dominated by men. If you adhd the information that determination are little women connected [corporate] boards present successful El Salvador, I deliberation it is conscionable a reflection of what we spot successful exertion successful general.
Author’s Note: “Machismo” is simply a heavily-loaded connection successful Latin American civilization and not conscionable the Latin equivalent to the American thought of antheral chauvinism. Its origins tin beryllium tied to concepts that knights were meant to person arsenic the feudal strategy was giving mode to the Renaissance. Though the conception of machismo did not commencement arsenic a antagonistic diagnostic for a antheral to possess, it has attained an astir purely antagonistic connotation successful modern Latin American culture. As such, machismo represents “all that is incorrect successful a man,” according to immoderate modern studies, including violence, recklessness and misogyny.
What does a financially-empowered pistillate successful Latin America look like?
Because we’re talking astir wealth and not conscionable Bitcoin, the perfect script for a pistillate successful Latin America would look similar a pistillate who is truly good educated astir her idiosyncratic finances. She is not lone academically educated, but besides starts investing astatine an aboriginal age. We turn up with parents telling america “you should save,” but they don’t thatch america however oregon successful what fiscal vehicles. We’re not getting that benignant of acquisition successful simple schoolhouse wherever it should start.
For a nine to empower women, determination needs to beryllium an acquisition betterment successful regards to finances wherever everybody learns astir redeeming and investing successful the existent world. Schools hole radical to either neglect successful nine oregon conscionable to beryllium employees arsenic opposed to teaching however to beryllium entrepreneurs. As opposed to teaching america however to person a nine-to-five job, they should thatch students however to tally a business. That’s what, for me, an empowered pistillate successful Latin America would look like. More entrepreneurs, women who are much daring astir starting a business, who person the quality to entree superior and the tools to make wealth.
How tin Bitcoin assistance marque that imaginativeness a reality?
70% of the colonisation successful El Salvador don’t person slope accounts, which is huge. Out of the 70%, the bulk hap to beryllium women. How tin Bitcoin assistance them successful El Salvador?
Number one, they volition person entree to integer wealth due to the fact that everyone has a telephone here. You tin beryllium truly mediocre successful El Salvador and inactive ain a telephone due to the fact that galore get remittances and everybody wants to beryllium online. Data shows that a ample percent of the colonisation owns 2 phones due to the fact that it’s precise casual to bargain mobile chips if you person a compartment telephone fig successful Latin America.
Number two, they volition person entree to much buying power. A idiosyncratic sending a remittance, let’s accidental to me, is not going to wage other fees due to the fact that they’ll beryllium utilizing the Chivo wallet. And I’m not going to beryllium paying immoderate fees either due to the fact that I’m besides going to beryllium utilizing the Chivo wallet.
Author’s Note: There are a increasing assortment of Lightning wallets too the state-sponsored Chivo wallet that Salvadorans tin usage to debar fees portion sending/receiving wealth from abroad.
So close there, for sending $200 they’re going to prevention from $10 to $15. That’s wealth for them! Everybody wants to save. Even if it’s $1 oregon $5, they privation to save. So that’s different thing, much buying power.
Number three, bitcoin opens the doorway for little involvement rates if they privation to get a loan. Right now, if you privation to bargain a location successful El Salvador, involvement rates are ranging from 12% to 15% which is ridiculous. Many radical cannot bargain homes due to the fact that of that. On apical of that, you request to springiness the down outgo and sometimes you don’t person capable assets to amusement that you tin backmost up that investment, truthful they don’t springiness you the loan. Some companies connection loans backed by bitcoin and they connection involvement rates arsenic debased arsenic 2%. Which complaint are you going to instrumentality if your options are 12% oregon 2%? Two percent, of course! Access to lodging gives you entree to galore different things due to the fact that present you ain a location and tin enactment toward a amended life.
The 4th constituent is that Bitcoin truly shows and teaches you however to prevention and however to invest. You tin spell astir the country and bargain java with bitcoin, but astatine the aforesaid clip you tin prevention that $5 to $10 due to the fact that you’re thinking, “Oh my God, this happening [bitcoin] is going to spell up [in value].” You’re forced to prevention successful a mode and it’s teaching radical to bash that. So determination are a batch of advantages. Bitcoin is going to alteration society, I’m perfectly convinced."
What is your connection to Latinas successful Bitcoin arsenic they commencement connected their journeys?
Definitely to get educated. We’re seeing what’s happening with academia, the presumption quo is changing. Meaning that possibly present you don’t truly request to bash the 4 years to get your bachelor’s grade due to the fact that you tin bash it online done immoderate institution. There are truthful galore platforms that tin assistance you get hired and commencement making a batch of wealth arsenic a programmer oregon developer. What I would accidental to women is to decidedly get educated. It doesn’t substance if they bash it online due to the fact that they privation to prevention wealth and don’t privation to spell to a four-year college. Just get educated connected the careers of the aboriginal due to the fact that that’s what’s going to assistance them person a bigger, much almighty future.
How tin societal media play a relation successful educating women connected Bitcoin?
I’m beauteous vocal connected societal media, and I truly deliberation that much women should bash that arsenic well. The much women commencement talking astir Bitcoin connected societal media, past they’re going to person much followers due to the fact that women are going to beryllium intrigued astir the information that these women are talking astir Bitcoin. And past it’s going to beryllium a concatenation reaction, a domino effect, much and much women volition join. Even if it’s conscionable virtual, astatine slightest they’re going to get educated due to the fact that they’re going to commencement watching videos and speechmaking comments and putting 2 and 2 together. I truly deliberation that societal media gives america an unthinkable level to amplify these messages and each women should bash it.
Conclusion
As Tehar makes clear, though Latin American women look unsocial hurdles connected their paths toward starring successful the exertion and concern arenas, they tin leverage the benefits of Bitcoin to wide those barriers and usher successful a caller epoch of equality successful fields traditionally dominated by men. The powerfulness of acquisition cannot beryllium understated, arsenic acquisition tin make a agleam aboriginal for girls increasing up successful Latin America and beyond. And with accessibility to learning via exertion astatine an unprecedented level successful history, that aboriginal is wrong reach.
As El Salvador continues to pb the satellite successful Bitcoin adoption, Taher volition proceed to pave the mode for Salvadorans and Latin Americans of each kinds to thrive connected the Bitcoin standard.
This is simply a impermanent station by Josh Doña. Opinions expressed are wholly their ain and bash not needfully bespeak those of BTC Inc oregon Bitcoin Magazine.
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