Shelly wrote:

…to a woman, a link is a way of connecting and being connected. To hearing and being heard. But not so for a guy. Guys see links as power, and therefore something precious, and to be protected. They hold on to their links as tightly, and as lovingly, as a thirsty drunk holds onto a bottle.

For instance, 'nofollow' wouldn't just be a misuse of HTML and a way for Google to solve the weblogger pest problem: it would be way of increasing the power of one’s link – literally a hypertext version of Viagra. As for Google, it becomes both the hand and the condom, enabling and protecting at the same time.

I think there is indeed a gender gap in the blogosphere but the gap works both ways, meaning girls link to other girls more often than they do to guys.  In a way, blogosphere is like a big elementary school yard.  Gender is a social force that affects social grouping as well as interactions.  So I think what she is noticing is partly due to differences in intra-group versus inter-group linking behaviors.