The primary problem women have is the physical demand on their bodies. Many women have the advantage of being naturally graceful, flexible and fluid. Back flexibility is especially helpful in capoeira, and as a generalization, I would say that men have to work harder on that. For women, the primary thing we work on is strength, especially in the upper body. Capoeira encompasses many energies.
Women have a natural tendency to embrace the dance side, the gymnastics and the fluidity.
Girls do a lot of back bends, and guys normally jump onto their hands from a mile away and do back flips. Capoeira can be used any way you want to use it. I came straight out of a ballet class, and I was not about to turn into a warrior all of a sudden. Aisha was doing capoeira and told me it was more like dance. I had taken ballet when I was little, and thought I would check it out.