Hou Yifan, Women's Chess, and Gender Equality?

This New Yorker piece is in part a profile of the second strongest female player in chess history, Hou Yifan, and in part a discussion of the ever-popular question, "What explains the disparity between men and women in chess?" Have a look at the various evidence-free assertions offered in the article, and then feel free to weigh in here. Supported claims would be nice, regardless of which side of the argument you prefer.