There is no denying that there are more male pro's than female pro's in
the go world. I can also think of a bunch of other possible reasons why
this is the case -- social equality in the go playing countries,
traditional roles, upbringing, etc. The "pampalakasan" argument is a bit of a stretch though hehehe.
As to the left/right hemisphere argument, there are studies that show go players have more activity in the right hemisphere then the left when playing. So advantages in brain laterality might not have as big an effect after all... (
http://www.numenware.com/article/508)
I would like to believe that if someone wants to be good at go, whether they're male or female, they can. Che is one of our
strongest players (although some might argue that she's not really a
'normal' girl. joke lang hehehe) and she is proof that women can be
just as strong, at least in our group.
The last thing we want to do is discourage anyone from trying to learn the game
because someone "proved" that they are at a disadvantage because of
their gender... kaya tingin ko hindi maganda ang ganitong klaseng discussion because we want more people to start playing the game.
Anyway, bati bati sana tayo lahat and i hope more people are start playing this game, lalaki o babae.
Peace din sa lahat :-)