First, in talking about male and female attitudes/behaviors we usually
are talking overlapping Bell Curves, not either or, so stereotyping
isn't necessarily the issue.
The real problem is dominance-seeking behavior (mostly but not
exclusively by males), which is the opposite of collaboration. Even if
wikipedia was ALL males it would be trying to cool down such dominance
behavior.
Given that Wikipedia both wants to encourage collaboration and bring
more women in to increase the number of editors and broaden the scope
and depth of entries, it seems like a no brainer to do what it takes to
institute -- or more often *actually apply* -- policies that discourage
the whole variety of dominance behaviors.
I freely admit that as a fairly dominant female, I will engage in such
behaviors when sufficiently aggravated by males also engaging in them.
(And that behavior sometimes carries over out of habit to articles where
things have been collaborative, and I have to work to tone it down.)
But at 62 my blood pressure doesn't need the aggravation. Nor would that
of the 10,000 seniors, male and female, I'd like to see join up to
wikipedia over next few years. (Hint to official outreach people: do
articles and ads in AARP and other senior publications.)
Active debate is one thing. Constantly running into, if I may speak
freely -- p***ing contests and c*rcle j*rks -- is something entirely
different, which a lot of people, male and female, have little stomach
for. Who cares if it's nature or nurture why women dislike such
behavior more?
Less hostile and more peaceful collaboration is good for BOTH women
editors and Wikipedia.