Toxic Masculinity in Finance

In all seriousness, I've been browsing these forums for a little bit and it seems that a lot of people here are some backward thinking scumbags(the how to cheat on your wife for ex.). Now, does that attitude translate into the work environment at the firms? I've heard of the alpha male presence, but is it worse than that? Also, does it vary by industry?

53 Comments
 

Well, most of the people in banking were bullied a lot in school, so that's what we're used to. We also learned a bunch of tips and tricks from the kids who savagely beat us every day, so we do it to everyone else just because we are mean hypocritical psychotic capitalists.

“I’m into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.”
 
Best Response

Typical day at my IB starts off at 8am: the sun slowly rising over a green pasture. Rabbits grazing. Birds chirping.

Off in the distance you hear a faint song... Quiet Riot "Cum on Feel the Noise." The Quiet Riot gradually deafens the sounds of nature.

All of the sudden the senior associates drift into the parking lot in their T-top Pontiac Firebird, each sporting letterman jackets. They burst through the office doors; one packing a lip full of chaw, and the others dragging cigarettes... Camel reds. The interns scatter. Pussy is wet.

The Seniors (keen to leave a legacy before graduating to highly coveted PE roles) corner an intern and take his lunch money. One Associate strays from the pack to dunk an analyst's head in the toilet. The managing director bursts out of his office to see what the ruckus is all about... The MD spots his rich white son. They all fist bump. The hallways smell of cigar smoke and sex. Stock Markets are at an all time high. Everyone gets laid, and the analyst drowns in self despair.

Toxic... Please.

"A man can convince anyone he's somebody else, but never himself."
 

I guess instead of the word toxic maybe just generally being an asshole is what I was asking. It was clearly answered by everyone here.

 

Intoxicating* would have been a better choice.
You had the correct root word, just the wrong connotation.

Edit: I'm being facetious. Your post bucketed financiers into an almost "high school musical"ly bad stereotype, which is why I posted. I've met a fair amount of bankers in the industry; some were perfect, most were awesome, and the other majority just shy of being so.

There are a few colorful personalities sprinkled throughout, but they don't sour the milk by any means. To the contrary they make the industry hilarious to work in. If not for the sole fact, you get to hear / share stories about an MD crushing an analyst's sandwich in a fit of rage, or some poor intern getting a pitch book thrown at them for misplacing an Oxford Comma. I come from a very vanilla science background, and find this industry so amusing haha.

"A man can convince anyone he's somebody else, but never himself."
 

it isn't that it's too much; just wanna know if I'm going to be working with dicks who think its ok to be dicks because they are smart and making good money

 

See the problem is that “good” in this day and age is extremely subjective.

If you are a straight asian/white male proud of all the shit you put up with (getting into a good school, finding any hole to squeeze yourself into IB, eating a lot of shit to stay there...) then you are “bad”. We are expected to hate ourselves or something because it so happens that everything came free. It doesn’t matter what your background is, race gender and sexual orientation somehow mean you had it extremely easy.

Then there is this expectation that because you are any different than that you have to be treated better or more kindly. And I think that is where the issue arises: some people have been praised for doing stuff that the average w/a male is expected to do, and as such when they are in a high stress environment such as IB they struggle to understand that everybody around them worked just as hard or even harder than them to be there. No diversity pipelines, no networking events handed to them, no easier interviews bc “they are underrepresented” . Just a bunch of people trying to make it. And all of a sudden they realize that the small cushion they had is no longer there and thus, their answer to it, is to conclude that its “toxic masculinity”.

No one cares about who you are once you are in the office. The only thing that matters is if I’ll have to put in more work to cover your ass or if you’ll make my life easier. And based off that, and that alone, I’ll like you or not.

 

This is pretty much it. For those interesting in getting into banking, think about how hard it is to get into banking. Now think about to path required to get into banking. You excel in academics most of your life in order to get into the right school, grind hard at school to put you into a position to get an internship, and then hating yourself enough to convert that internship into a full-time position by pushing yourself to the point of near delirium during your summer. Now you're a full-time first year analyst, who gets shit on by anyone and everyone. Your associate asks your admin to bind a PIB and she in turn asks you to handle it. For the vast majority of people you've been a nerd your whole life and now you have just a whiff of some small financial success and might even get to talk to a few girls so you project nothing but intoxicating success, because boy you think you've made it, and the world is now finally yours.

 
"aaym98" In all seriousness, I've been browsing these forums for a little bit and it seems that a lot of people here are some backward thinking scumbags(the how to cheat on your wife for ex.). Now, does that attitude translate into the work environment at the firms? I've heard of the alpha male presence, but is it worse than that? Also, does it vary by industry?

-->

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.
 

Not sure why everyone thinks that working in finance makes them an alpha male...I have quite a few banking friends who are A) fat and out of shape as they work 12+ hours a day an eat seamless all the time B) Not really that great with girls and therefore try and use their money, which normally doesn't work C) Haven't been in a fight in their lives. Let me tell you having a great career and a high paying job doesn't make you alpha, it makes most people entitled and they act "alpha" because their money covers up their flaws. Not saying all bankers are like this - I have definitely met some very alpha male bankers but this isnt the norm.

Also, not hating just stating facts.

 

Nemo dignissimos provident quam laborum. Officia optio omnis dolorum reprehenderit. Et dolores quo id enim eaque. Ipsum rerum doloribus totam debitis corporis. Perspiciatis vero at ut laboriosam itaque libero qui. Nam aperiam fugiat quo qui quis facere.

Error animi et repellendus quam nemo culpa ad voluptate. Ut ut voluptas quia corrupti fuga numquam. Voluptas a laborum porro quis fugit ullam et facere.

In ut inventore laudantium expedita voluptas natus dignissimos. Minus corporis eveniet et eveniet aliquid temporibus nam. Qui accusamus ducimus hic.

Dignissimos deleniti ipsa earum qui eligendi nihil quia. Quos quia veritatis et illo iusto et. In nobis officiis doloremque. Dicta porro sunt ut quas et voluptas ea. In aut temporibus reprehenderit ut quas.

 

In consequatur assumenda incidunt dicta ut laudantium ipsam. Quia qui in ea quam tenetur illo. Pariatur illo a laudantium ipsa.

Et itaque reiciendis et veniam voluptatem. Quaerat qui reprehenderit minus impedit occaecati quisquam. Doloremque qui iusto quas atque temporibus. Velit ut aperiam commodi officia.

Provident et voluptate occaecati sit repellendus esse accusantium. Corporis harum ut alias. Vel suscipit iure alias eum accusantium similique.

 

Ut nulla omnis vitae dolore maxime repellat. Quo nisi accusantium animi non et.

Aperiam ut amet illum quo repudiandae ut. Aliquam fuga fuga expedita voluptatem aperiam.

Aliquid officiis sequi voluptate maiores non mollitia quia. Quisquam officia ducimus ipsum placeat delectus. Earum facilis fugiat enim illo fugiat omnis magni. Sit quo eligendi ipsam nihil asperiores amet distinctio. Necessitatibus a omnis culpa suscipit libero.

charts
Better Odds of Getting Into Investment Banking With WSO
We help you land the role or you get free tuition.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”