At my at my club we have maybe 5 or 6 ladies that fly solo in gliders, a few others enjoy flying dual, they are safe cautious pilots, it need not cost a lot, flying locally in a club glider is not expensive, or you can instruct even fly the tug. Most women have other interests that they would rather spend the cash on and I would say that their risk perception is higher that men's perception.
However like any male dominated activity you are going to encounter dinosaurs, let's not pretend they don't exist, the lady pilots that I know have ample self confidence to "handle" any sexist comments, self confidence is pretty much essential for any pilot. I will say that women make very good instructors, they are safe cautious pilots, rather than risk takers pushing the boundaries.
I don't expect there will ever be more than 10% of any pilots women, those that do enjoy it are every bit as good as the men.