That is it exactly. Women naturally have a greater tendency to fear, so when put in a position of either stepping up to back up the one under fire or just watching and waiting, a higher portion of women are going to quietly observe. And then that means no one steps up, and that makes everyone even more scared because they read from the fact that no one else agreed in public that No One Agrees.

So while in a group of men, one man at least might make the more foolhardy/brave move of speaking out before knowing the consequences, opening the streams a bit to a least the idea that there are two teams, that you are "picking a side" not just screaming into the void, a group of women might be more likely to wait to find out what people think, inadvertently affecting what people think by not speaking out in the first place. And then once it becomes established what you can say that will get you back-up, and what is unsupported, saying the right thing is a form of gaining security. Being "political" in college is being part of a certain crowd, and it means agreeing to a set of beliefs. You can't be political at that age and then not toe the line, that's not an activist, it gets a whole different label: so (young) women gain validation, comfort, belonging.

To be honest, when I was in college I remember working at NOW and reading some anti-abortion literature that had been sent to our offices and for the first time really listening to their arguments and realizing I had never really given them a chance. I had always been part of the liberal team, and always been pro-choice because duh, and I knew the arguments but I had not really understood them. I could recite them, but I did not fully get the ins and outs, because I didn't care - what I cared about was getting together and going to rallies and making smart-ass signs and winning our elections and telling those dumb anti-choice losers how wrong they were! But it wasn't really an honest thought process. It was social, egotistical, cultural, reactionary, a whole lot of stuff that doesn't belong in a real discussion about a real concern. That summer I did a lot of reading and thinking, and I ended up pro-choice but at a more "safe legal & rare" level, but what really changed was that I had respect for people who disagreed - more respect for anyone who took seriously the considerations, whatever their conclusions, than for those who were just cheerleaders for a party, whichever party it was.

But, so many of these arguments are set up like sporting events rather than nuanced conversations. Once people pick a side they do everything they can to avoid losing and paying attention to the reality of things becomes irrelevant. It's just about proving a point, or anyway getting someone to back down. And all that matters when you're young is being on the team with the cool kids...