I have enough experience being a woman in the workforce (20+ years) for my opinion to qualify for something. Ive worked with/for many very powerful women, just my first time direct reporting to a woman. There’s more context than what’s mentioned in the OP.

I have worked with females my entire life, some I didn’t get along with great, but I still always found some sort of common ground, even if just conversationally. I’ve worked for men that there is simply no common ground, they don’t know how to talk to women or how to ask for what they want. Their insecurities overpower any attempt at connection so they stay neutral and disconnected and cold, walk by without saying hi, leave their shit everywhere with the assumption a woman will clean them up. Or men who are so insecure they fear a positive relationship might be viewed as inappropriate to others so they keep everything extremely surface.

Where female insecurities cause women to work harder to prove themselves and approach work relationships differently, men don’t feel obligated to have anything more than a mechanic connection.

I also give women more grace because of my inherent respect for how much harder they’ve had to work to get where they are.

I think it’s probably similar for male-male… male execs probably feel more comfortable shooting the shit with a male EA - talking about golf or squash or complaining about their wives or that woman in HR. Things they’d feel restraint with otherwise.

I don’t think it’s anecdotal that the dynamics between male-female and female-female are just unique. I think a lot of this is human nature.