It wasn’t all that long ago that a woman on Wall Street was unheard of. However, through sheer determination and dwindling employee numbers after World War II, women began to make their mark on the trading hub of the world’s biggest economy. Paulina Bren has uncovered the real stories of women’s hard-fought battles to make a name for themselves on Wall Street, and she joins us today as an author, historian, and professor to unpack her fascinating new book, She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street. We begin with Paulina’s story and why she chose to write about women on Wall Street before exploring the first female entry into Wall Street, why feminism seems to fail in this space, the many scrupulous challenges women faced just to be recognized on Wall Street, and the similarities that exist between the first women who successfully navigated their entry into Wall Street. We end with the overarching dangers of undervaluing women and their opinions in the workplace, and Paulina explains what’s next for her in 2025. Tune in to hear the untold stories of trailblazing women on Wall Street, their battles for recognition, and the lessons we can learn from their perseverance and contributions to the financial world!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Writer, historian, and professor, Paulina Bren walks us through her background story. 
• Why she chose to write about Wall Street and, specifically, the women who fought to be there. 
• How women found the courage to pursue finance in the World War II era. 
• What we can learn from the story of Muriel “Mickey” Siebert. 
• Insight into why feminism fails on Wall Street.
• Concrete barriers women had to overcome to find a place on Wall Street. 
• Common traits between the pioneering women of Wall Street. 
• Why Paulina omitted certain events from her book and why others were non-negotiable. 
• Reasons women are still undervalued on Wall Street. 
• Dangers of excluding women from high-level roles and decisions.
• Paulina’s plans for the future (and a memorable excerpt from She-Wolves).  

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Paulina Bren

Paulina Bren at Vassar

Paulina Bren on LinkedIn

Paulina Bren on Instagram 

She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street 

The Barbizon

The Greengrocer and His TV

Muriel "Mickie" Siebert: National Women’s History Museum 

Fordham University School of Law Corporate Law Center