From what I know some women, for a variety reasons, had a positive path into poker.
Take Kristin Bicknell as an example. She competed in male dominated sports as a kid due to her family's involvement in motor racing. She had college friends who showed a interest in poker and then supporting each other to learn and improve. She now holds her own in super high rollers.
However, without that support system many women feel resented at the live tables and have men actively trying to intimidate them.
To underline the intimidation point and the level of misogyny which sadly exists to a degree with some male players, I'll loop back to Kristin Bicknell.
Andrew Neeme, whose vlog most of us follow (I presume) featured Kristin at one point. He knew her as a player and friend and wanted to showcase her as she had gone to levels he has yet to achieve.
Pathetic though it is to relate, Andrew then received numerous complaints about featuring a women on his vlog - a women that is, who is a bona fide world class player.
I use this to simply point to a level of anti-women bias that exists within the poker world, which in 2019 is truly pathetic.