The reason is the same for esports. If your sport is dominated by a certain gender then they can be a minor barrier for the other gender to join it. The average skill of the larger group will be higher than the smaller one. So they'll have female exclusive events to help build that community up but the few top tier players who can hang with the men will compete with them since the most prestigious events are not usually gender locked.
If men and women are so equal why do they have a women's division in Chess?
It's not even a physical match, it's literally just brains.
The reason is the same for esports. If your sport is dominated by a certain gender then they can be a minor barrier for the other gender to join it. The average skill of the larger group will be higher than the smaller one. So they'll have female exclusive events to help build that community up but the few top tier players who can hang with the men will compete with them since the most prestigious events are not usually gender locked.