At the width of these saddles, there's no width difference between men's and women's. On narrower saddles, women's saddles tend to be a little wider, but obviously both men and women fit a range of saddles with a great deal of overlap between them.
Women's saddles are also shorter in the nose, so they're easier to ride in a skirt. This is partly cosmetic, so women aren't embarrassed by the nose of the saddle sticking out in front... uh... you know.
I'm not sure when Brooks took over Wrights; must have been in the 50's sometime.