The REAL reasons all those women have walked off Wall Street

Bad things are happening. According to the Wall Street Journal, female bankers are becoming an endangered species. Over the past decade, 141,000 women left the financial services industry in the US; 389,000 men joined.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE WOMEN GONE? (And why?)

We haven't spoken to any women on Wall Street, but we have spoken to several former female MDs in London. Nowadays, most are kicking back with their children or running their own businesses. Here are the real reasons they say they quit.

1) The men became unbearable

"Men were a lot more scrappy than women at making sure they got one of the chairs after the financial crisis," says one ex-female banker. "And now that there are fewer women left, the natural tendency in an aggressive male environment is to become more aggressive still."

2) Lehman went under

"Lehman took women incredibly seriously and put their money where their mouth was," says another ex-banker.

"Lehman definitely made a huge effort with women," says another former senior banker at Lehman. "But I'm a bit biased on that one."

3) They've got other options

"Women bankers are more likely to have a high earning spouse," says one formerly senior female. "It makes it easier for them to walk away."

4) Men define themselves as bankers, women don't

"Men have their identify wrapped up in the business," she adds. "Women don't. They have more going on."

5) It's not worth it any more

"The whole risk/reward equation for banking is a lot less compelling than it used to be," comments the former Lehman banker. "Women have just figured that out more quickly than men."

"Men are socialised to go and earn a living. They don't see any other option," adds another ex-senior-female. "However, if women can't see a clear path to succeed and climb the ladder, they'll go off and do something else."

6) Women were shoved once PC considerations went out the window

"When the downturn first happened, everyone was trying to be PC and to continue nurturing as many women as they could," says another female who's quit. "But when markets really tanked, all those women who were being propped up had to be suddenly let go."

When will all the women come back? It's unlikely to happen soon: graduate recruiters say the number of women applying to graduate recruitment and internship programmes has plummeted too.