monti - your experience as a driving instructor will have been with those who have paid for your services, but who won't have been aptitude tested. Whereas by the time our ladies reach their squadron, they will be equally capable as those of the male gender.
When I was a UAS QFI, none of our students had been aptitude tested. There were those of both sexes who would never be fit to command even a bicycle, let alone an aeroplane. But the only discernable characteristic amongst the girls which differed from the boys was that if you said to a bloke "That was an average trip", he'd think 'Great, good enough. Can go to the pub tonight'. Whereas if you said the same thing to a girl, she'd think "I need to do better than that - better do some more work". They'd also be better at helping eachother (probably stems from that weird thing they have for visiting the loo in pairs) than the boys, plus they were generally more mature.
So whether its a cockpit or a box office, it's no big deal.