In my experience, women tend to be more empathetic than men are. At some points in my adult life, I've been homeless. Most shelters are divided by gender. With exceptions, I've observed that the women in that situation have tended to band together and be supportive of each other, while on the men's side there was more of looking out for number one.

This isn't cut and dried. I've seen women backstabbing each other in times like that, and I've also seen some awfully cold-hearted, power-hungry, and unfeeling female shelter staff. But my experience has been that if there is empathy and listening and mutual support going on, it's more likely to be women doing it.