It has long been recognised that numismatics is predominantly a male pursuit. This note presents data from several sources (British Numismatic Society, Token Corresponding Society, Museums and academia etc) regarding the gender balance within each sector. It is clear that there is a significant difference between the hobby/amateur/collector/society/voluntary side of the subject (5-10% women) and the larger scale professional/academic/museum/university side of numismatics (30-50% women).
There is no discussion as to how these differences have arisen or indeed how they may be addressed, but it is hoped the data will be of use for those suggesting future directions in the subject.
BNS Research Blog 