Dear Mary,
I know what you want me to say but I am not going to say it.
Back to my point, there are not many 180 pound women and there are even fewer 180 pound women who want to sail/race sailboats. There are plenty of 120 to 130 pound women who would like to race sailboats but due to the design of the boats, the 120 pound women are not competitive except in light winds where they can hold the boats down. When the wind picks up, the average size female can't hold the boat down and the big guys walk away to windward because of their weight, not their superior sailing ability. It is no fun to try to compete in this situation.
The 470 is an example of a depowered, reduced sail area, 2 person racing monohull. The powered up versions of this same boat are the 505 and the Flying Dutchman. The 470 is a slightly smaller platform than the 505 or FD with a greatly reduced sail plan. Therefore the boat favors small men and average size women. No problem. Ever see two 180 pound guys race a 470? Two 140 pound guys will lap them in a two lap race.
As far as the comment about sheet loads being too great for women; that's what higher mechanical advantage pulley systems are for. I have 8:1 mechanical advantage on a 150sqft jib on the RC30. It is like power steering; trim the sail with one hand. The mainsheet is 16:1 and the main traveller control is 8:1. I put power steering on everything. Make it easy. Why not?
Bill