This thread is probably the exact reason why any woman interested or good at chess would avoid disclosing their identity like the plague. This isn't exactly a welcoming, non-judgemental thread.
What is interesting, is in a lot of western countries, male children and female children both begin playing chess at a roughly 50/50 ratio. There then appears to be a societal pressure, starting almost immediately on these children, which causes the female players to gradually filter out, until in adults, the ratio of male adults and female adults playing chess becomes something ridiculous like 49/1.
This exact thread is probably evidence of one of those filter events; a somewhat arrogant chauvinistic attitude, with casual sexism thrown in for good measure.
We should be inviting people into this hobby, not labelling them as "other" and casting them out.
What is interesting, is in a lot of western countries, male children and female children both begin playing chess at a roughly 50/50 ratio. There then appears to be a societal pressure, starting almost immediately on these children, which causes the female players to gradually filter out, until in adults, the ratio of male adults and female adults playing chess becomes something ridiculous like 49/1.
This exact thread is probably evidence of one of those filter events; a somewhat arrogant chauvinistic attitude, with casual sexism thrown in for good measure.
We should be inviting people into this hobby, not labelling them as "other" and casting them out.