Terra Nova: Correcting Reality

For almost all MMOs, one of the first things you have to decide when creating a character is the gender of that character. Is it male or female?

Also for almost all MMOs, the choice is of importance only cosmetically (it affects how the avatar looks) or socially (people typically treat male and female characters differently).

What about tangible, in-world differences, though? Jaw-dropping mistakes aside, there usually are none. Male and female characters are identical in all respects. Neither is stronger. Neither is faster. Neither is nimbler. Clothes that fit one fit the other. They're identical.

In real life, however, men and women are not identical. Neither are people of different races (skin colour trades off creating vitamin D against resisting skin cancer). There are advantages and disadvantages. These are not, however, reflected in the implementation of MMOs.

Are MMOs correcting reality by ignoring these differences? Or are they painting a false picture?