I’m a private trader and mother of two great “tween” girls. Trading has a great amount of flexibility, scope for creativity and unlimited rewards totally free of the popular glass ceiling of gender inequality. Along my travels I’ve found women traders seem to make up a very small minority of traders and I’d like to inspire other women to get into trading to enjoy the great potential it offers.

What’s so great about the financial markets for women? You get paid (or pay) according to risk, your skills and the market.

GENDER NEUTRAL

When you buy or sell a trading instrument you have no idea who’s on the other side of the transaction. You don’t know whether it’s a man or a woman, what race they are, where they live or if they’re getting in or bailing out for profit or loss. The market’s set up to be totally anonymous so there’s no gender inequality there. It’s a totally level playing field between men and women. May the best person win!

Kids don’t cost mothers their livelihood.

Gender inequality is often created when mothers’ put their careers on hold to start and grow a family. Time out from the workplace can be difficult to overcome when there are others who have progressed their careers uninterrupted. On returning, women may have the challenging task of competing with men and childless women for jobs.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

I see some women opt for a “soft” job with lower earnings to try and balance family life. Why settle for anything less than the best? Trading can work for managing a family, as there’s a large amount of flexibility about times of work and how intensively you choose to do it.

Trading income isn’t influenced by how many hours you work. It’s broken the hours for dollars cycle if you let it. It’s a hard concept to get used to in practice and I sometimes see traders’ working like crazy analyzing and looking for the Holy Grail. Gee, I’ve even been there and done that at an earlier stage in my trading.

NO BOYS CLUB FOR PRIVATE TRADERS

There’s talk that the networks that men have help create the opportunities they have to advance their careers so they get more money. Network all you want, but when it comes to trading your own money or the money of others, it’s results that matter.

No boys’ club network is going to directly help you become a better trader, but surrounding yourself with successful traders and learning to emulate their successful traits will count.

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

Many women live a life of dependence being a homemaker and relying on their partners as a sole source of income. Why do that? There’s absolutely no need to. Women should work to create their own financial independence. Trading helps develop essential financial and other personal skills that can be applied to many areas in life.

Don’t rely on others. Create your own destiny and contribute financially.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Every parent who has children wants them to grow up and have a bright future. We want that for all our kids, both boys and girls. The best way to show your daughters’ that they can be somebody is to take charge of your own future and destiny so they can see you thriving and saying, “YES, I CAN!”

If Mum’s around the world take a leadership role designing their own future they can plant the seeds in their daughters’ mind that, indeed, their dreams can come true too.

JUST DO IT

Trading is a level playing field with men. So to all the women out there, give trading a go! You’ll be glad you did.

SHARE YOUR STORY
If you’re a women trader, what makes trading great (or not) for you? What do you think about women trading? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Rachel Hunter’s website shares insights and tools to help you trade better.

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Why Women Make Better Traders