Until the past couple of years, most of my female customers rode in mens shorts. Recently, most companies have started offering multi dimensional chamois in both womens and mens... and those are gender specific. With that said, I had a womens indoor class this winter and offered short specials for them... the first round they all purchased womens shorts and the second round they all purchased mens shorts. The clear winner was the mens shorts! Most of the womens shorts are still hanging in the shop.Personally I have always worn mens shorts. The womens shorts that I have (which are several brands) fit me in the legs(I have big legs) and are TOO big in the waist, although the mens fit great! It seems rather odd to me, but it is reality at least for me. I wanted to give womens shorts another chance this season, so I bought more and offered more to my class... however like I've been doing for many years.. I'm back to the mens.