Gail Macapagal: Women have a big role to play in the blockchain industry

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“As a woman, when you’re in technology, you’re a special gem that needs to be cultivated,” Gail Macapagal tells CoinGeek Backstage.

Macapagal, the founder of Women in Blockchain Philippines, is pushing to have more women in the industry, and as she shared, their participation has skyrocketed in the past few years.

The blockchain and digital asset industry is male-dominated, in line with most tech-centric sectors, where men hold over 75% of all positions. However, in recent times, more women have become involved with blockchain. In the Philippines, Macapagal is leading efforts to open up the sector to more women, and she told CoinGeek Backstage reporter Claire Celdran that the past two years have seen a boom in women participation.

“Women in technology are rare. [As a woman in tech], you need people to motivate you, you need people to talk to, and you need women to collaborate with. In 2019, I could barely come up with 10 women. Now, I think I can come up with over 100 women,” she stated.

Macapagal was speaking on the sidelines of the Global Blockchain Summit held in the City of Balanga, Bataan. The event brought together blockchain thought leaders, startup founders, and government officials to talk about blockchain adoption in the province and, gradually, in the Philippines.

Macapagal hailed the growth of the blockchain sector in the Philippines, a country that has become a global leader in several blockchain sub-sectors, including play-to-earn gaming, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and digital asset adoption.

“This [the event] is a positive step towards mass adoption. Of course, we’re still behind in terms of education and talent development, but these are things which can be worked on,” she said.

Macapagal believes that BSV has a big role to play in the digital future of the Philippines. She noted that the blockchain network, which scales unbounded for enterprise needs, is well-positioned to become the data ledger of choice in both the business and government sectors.

Watch: Turbocharging Philippines digitalization via blockchain