UK
Should female traders have hairy chins?
15 April 2008
And should banks avoid feminine types with squeaky voices?
The science says yes.
Research by John Coates, a one-time derivatives trader turned research fellow at Cambridge, suggests that traders with more testosterone make more money.
It also suggests that traders have more testosterone in a bull market and more cortisol (a stress hormone) when markets are volatile.
Does this mean traders with stubble and deep voices will perform better? Maybe – which might also explain why so many are men.
“One out of 15 traders on our desk were female,” reflects one female banker.
“Traders need to be rude, arrogant, aggressive and to stick with their convictions,” she adds. “You need to really believe your decisions. When women are challenged they have more of a tendency to change their minds in an attempt to please people.”
Should trading floors be mostly comprised of men and women who might as well be men? Or does the feminine touch have a place? Let the truth be known below.
There are (a few) women in trading, but they tend to be thick skinned and able to work in what is essentially a very male environment. Does that make them masculine women? Sometimes it's exactly the opposite.
Talula 16 Apr 2008
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