My career and interests have always situated me in largely male-dominated fields, so I'm pretty used to the atmosphere one finds in this forum toward women ... that doesn't mean that I like it though. I do agree that I encounter more sexism here than I do in real life, and that raises some interesting questions for me. 1) Are the uncensored thoughts / comments typed here a more accurate reflection of the way that the men I deal with in RL think (in which case, yikes) or 2) Is the locker room ambiance of the road forum bringing forth these comments in a way that, while revealing of lingering cultural stereotypes, isn't "serious"?

In any case it is worth considering that the "we were just kidding" defense with regard to off colour comments doesn't work anymore with regard to race ... perhaps it shouldn't with regard to gender either?

And yes, a big thanks to those men on this forum that continually act with respect toward the female members in particular, and toward females in general. You know who you are, and we all appreciate it.

(That said, I do have thick skin and though I've been wearily disappointed by some of the conduct on this board toward women, I've never yet been truly offended.)