That was my initial reaction too, but then again it doesn't seem to bother either of us particularly that women have to wear tops and men can go shirtless in our culture. Would either of us WANT to go topless? I wouldn't, it'd embarrass me. On the other hand I can see and agree with the argument that it should be equal. Did you know the soccer league has a rule now that women can't take their tops off, since that one woman peeled off her top to reveal her sports bra?

I see plenty of examples of the other sort of argument in our own culture as well. There's been a very long and involved and angsty-about-being-non-PC-but-still-doing-it argument on an agility list lately about the difference between men and women as agility competitors, particularly since there are more men in the upper eschelons of agility but more women in the lower ranks -- lots of generalizations about "men don't like competition if they can't win" and "women are more emotionally sensitive and in it for the companionship".

It's interesting to see it in another cultural setting because it makes us more aware of it, but it's definitely not a unique phenomenon...