well your right. Its a fairly complex issue as well, I actually wrote a research paper on tihs exact topic a few quarters back. Gender roles in the sport stem from our societal messages that are propegated. We see almost exclusively in our eroticized culture images of tall, extremely skinny female models who look more or less starved, while men see images of a muscular masculine ideal, which is healthier to aspire for? The average women and teenage girl has no positive role model, its either the victoria secret model, or the roided out female BB, so of course females equate weight training with the latter image. Our society fails to get across a positive message to women on howweight training can be, and therefore you get nothing but cardio bunnies scared to touch a weight for fear of ineveitable androgenous sides. Theres obviously much more to it, but its horrible and it pisses me off. Every chance I get to influence a female with teh iron, I put my all into it b/c its such a positive.. anyways, I'll shut up now.. lol