Just to add my two cents worth : I believe that women are given more OPPORTUNITIES than the men nowadays , but what they do with them comes down to ability, pure and simple.
Have always found that female bosses prefer female workers, and some male bosses will hire females purely for the "eye candy" value.
My missus recently commented to me that a female pilot should NOT be hired to do a job requiring some physical effort, because she wouldn't be able to lift the bags, and that the MALES were making her fail by putting her in this situation!
I must say though, that ANYONE turning on the waterworks has ABSOLUTELY NO RESPECT from me! ... do not care WHAT the situation is, there is NEVER a reason to cry over it.
All things said and done, at the end of the day it DOES come down to ability.