How is this different from the default state of Western culture for the past century? Despite many positive social changes towards more equal opportunities for women, socially speaking, Western culture is still very traditional in terms of the common expectations surrounding the "courtship" dynamic between a man and a woman. The man is still expected to initiate and drive the interaction, while the woman is expected to be more passive about it. This is how it is off the Internet as well - women are routinely approached by men at bars/nightclubs etc., but it rarely happens the other way around. So why would online dating be any different?