I've noticed that women, far more so than men, often have emotional barriers to climbing. It particularly seems to prevent them using their legs well. I've even seen a few burst out crying as a release after their first outdoor climb. My wife had little improvement for many years but after giving birth to our son, her climbing has skyrocketed. Now that she's climbing so well, it has given her a huge self esteem boost, which helps her climb even better and has encouraged her to get much stronger.