Does it make any difference in education if you’re male or female? Does gender matter, taking into account the fact that approximately 61% of active OUM learners and 36% of active tutors are female? There is no conclusive evidence pointing to a clear answer. Some studies have shown that gender does matter, and that it plays a key role in influencing or determining learners’ academic performance and ability to follow their programme consistently till completion. It has been claimed, also, for instance, that, while male learners might like adversarial tutors, female learners tend to prefer a more supportive environment to share problems and achievements. Another study argues that more female than male learners suffer from the loneliness of ODL. Others, however, argue that these findings do not apply evenly to all contexts, and that, ultimately, what counts is not gender but intellectual ability and achievement motivation. TCX29 considers these gender issues in the general and OUM contexts.