<p>IMO, Banks want to make profits. It does not matter if you are a female or LGBT if you can do your job.</p>
<p>However, it is a historically traditionally male straight (or not out) profession as I understand it.</p>
<p>My D is the only female at her trading desk at a BB in NYC. Not sure when there was another female at her desk. (In trading, desk essentially means department)</p>
<p>Brokers take the traders out “on the town” on a regular basis. The best restaurants in NYC, Knicks, Yankee or Mets games with great seats, etc. She goes.</p>
<p>They also apparently take them to strip clubs. My D is not invited to these outings and they are tried to be kept hidden. (Failure obviously) She doesn’t believe that these excursions are to leave her out, but to not offend her. </p>
<p>She and her fellow workers seem to get on very well. That is why they care about offending her. There has been no discrimination against her being a female.</p>
<p>However, if you are a very sensitive person, ie can not take not " politically incorrect" jokes or you do not have a thick skin, you might have a problem in the IB world… But the culture is trying to change from my observation.</p>