Domestos
You are spot on the money!!
Female crew can say what they like and im all for equality but as a female when I have an all female crew and things start to go pear shaped which has happened on more then one occassion the first thing I have to do is look for paxing crew and suitable ABP's as the fact of the matter is 7-10 females on a wide bodied aircraft have no chance in restraining a couple of big men (or women) plus it would take a couple of females to evacuate an injured pax etc therefore putting not just one person's life at risk but more then one member of the crew.
There are certainly female crew who are very capable in this regard eg ex police women but they are few and far between. But 90% of the time when I operate long sectors such as Perth or regional trips im very happy to have at least 1 male on the crew.
As for the safety demo people are watching but I believe more because its new. A quick walk through the cabin shows no one takes a bit of interest as seat belts are off hanging in the aisle they couldnt care less. Pax's even have the hide to ask questions about the QF72 incident while sitting there with their seatbelt unfastened go figure. These are the people that would be straight off to slater and and gordon the minute the aircraft touches down if they were ever injured on a flight.