I think part of the problem (of women not having as many opportunities as men) is misplaced protectiveness to females, coming from those in charge. I have noticed females being allowed to get away with ducking out of challenges, while males were just told to get on with it. For example, a boy was told he had to ring down, but his sister was let off because "she doesn't like to". Another example, in a family where all were equally able, the boys were expected to learn to call touches, while the girls (who were very quiet people and would doubtless have found it embarrassing) were not. Again, few people would ask a woman to ring a heavy or tricky bell, especially if she had expressed nervousness, but they would expect a man to just do it, however he felt about it. Finally, a ringing master once said "we'll ring down and I want MEN on the back bells". This was clearly a safety precaution (they were heavy bells and it was not an experienced band), but I knew I could have rung a back bell down safely and well.