The trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange is a bold icon of American business. Founded over 200 years ago in 1792, NYSE has traditionally been dominated by men, and still remains a challenging workplace for women to join and be a part of.
“It’s a bit of a men’s club. It’s always been that way… it must change,” says Peter Tuchman, who has been working at the NYSE since 1985.
In fact, when Muriel Siebert, the first woman eligible to trade on the floor, joined the NYSE in 1967, there was no women’s restroom in the exchange.
Today, there is only one-full time female employee who works on the floor: Lauren Simmons.
Simmons, a 23-year-old equity trader for Rosenblatt Securities, is currently both the youngest and only full-time female employee to hold that position at the New York Stock Exchange.
As a woman, Simmons explains that she encountered great doubt from those around her when wanting to become a floor broker. “To be a floor broker you have to get your badge… I had a month to take the exam. They did not think I was going to pass. So when I did, it shocked everyone. The men on the floor were like, ‘She’s really intelligent,’” Simmons tells CNBC Make It.
Though she is the only female broker on the floor, Simmons explains that her job has been “surreal.” In an interview last month, Simmons tells CNBC, “the culture and the men, it’s a huge community, where they are supporting me, they’re lifting me up, and they really want me to do well within the industry.”
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