Everything I'm about to say is a generality.

WRT women and their vulnerability at checkpoints, it's not just a question of physical force.

I think women of a "certain age" are socialized in 2 ways which make the pat-downs particularly egregious.

1. They've been raised to "protect their virtue". There's a feeling of shame if you've been sexually molested in any way and I think (I don't know, I have no experience in this area) the older you are, the more likely you are to internalize and blame yourself. I think I fit into this older category but I was raised with 3 brothers by rather egalitarian parents so I've never been a shrinking violet. But I am a woman and know how other women my age were raised and how they think.

2. They've been taught to not make waves, go along, respect authority. This would make them more likely to not question a TSO's order.

These 2 items together are setting up a whole segment of the population, which is older and more likely to have physical issues which result in pat-downs, as victims.

Younger women, while more likely to be able to stand up for themselves, don't see their bodies in quite the same way. I'm not sure how to explain it but they may consider the pat-down gross, but not sexual assault because their attitudes about physical contact are a little looser. All a guess, just generalities, etc.

When you get down to really young women, teens and pre-teen girls, this is where the problem really starts. Their attitudes regarding their bodies, their self-worth, their value as a human being are all tied together. By allowing a stranger to touch them in this way, I strongly believe we're sending a message that this young woman's "self" is not hers to control. Do that few times a year during her teen years and what does that ingrain in her? It will have consequences beyond just having the ability or, even desire, to "opt-out" at the airport.