I am female, I tend to have a negative reaction. I wish people could be gender blind as well as color blind. Most of my role models in my academic life are of course men since I'm attracted to physical science, and I'm fortunate enough to have some that I believe encourage me because they see that I am sincerely interested rather than because I am female. Or at least they are successful at convincing me so, which has the same effect. I hope I'm not discouraging anyone too much.
Women are responsible too, of course.
Many of us measure our worth by how valuable we are to men. What makes us valuable to men is also learned, both by women and men. It has very little to do with logical intelligence. I've been trying to change this behavior in myself for years, and it's tough. I know it can't be easy for anyone else, because I'm not your average little princess.