-Focus More on Recruiting the Ladies
For male DMs, it seems to be a self-perpetuating cycle. Guys tend to recruit more guys. This is probably because most of their friends are guys, so it's just easier to invite more guys. That said, even I have to focus more on recruiting women. Popular conception of a D&D nerd is male, and men in our society are taught to be more outgoing, that it's more acceptable to go get what they want, than are women.
Here's some of the things I do: When working out the meeting times, I keep the women's schedules on slightly higher priorities than the men's (unless I think they won't come). I make sure they understand the game mechanics, the setting, and get help with character sheets. When I mentioned my tactic of recruiting more ladies to the DM who succeeded me for my last group, he was surprised and said he hadn't noticed any difference in the recruitments. I pointed out how I'd made a page describing all the lands in the setting specifically for our new female player, while I hadn't done so to recruit a male player.
For those of you who are still dubious, let me put it this way: if female players are harder to bring into your game than male players, doesn't it follow to put a little more effort into doing so? It's like building your own dungeon rather than generating one. For a campaign that's really great, you want a little of both.
-Be Willing to Teach New Players
A lot of the women I've brought into my D&D groups have never played before and don't know the first thing about it. This is also true for a lot of the men; however, in my experience as a DM, the players that have come to me already knowing the game (or knowing a bit, at least) were exclusively men. (That's not to say that I don't know women who know all about D&D, because I know a woman who's been playing for fifteen years, to name one example.) I would venture to guess that that's because the culture of the tabletop RPGs tend to slant against women.
As a DM, you should always be willing to teach new players. For women, who are often assumed to not be interested or have other reasons for not joining, this is in my mind especially important.
-Let a Lady DM
This isn't always feasible. I know a lot of women (a lot of players, for that matter) who either aren't suited or have no desire to be DM. That said, I see a lot of gaming groups switch DMs. A few years ago, my DM let a couple guys run their own game, while I was passed by for no legitimate reason I could discern. If DMing is available to the men, make sure you also ask the women.
But what if a guy asks and a gal doesn't?
Go ahead and ask them. I, for one, was contented with my current DM and the current game. Having another DM at all hadn't crossed my mind until the discussion was brought up and I realized I wanted to. On the other hand, not everyone may know how or have the opportunity to broach the subject. Your buddy who you play videogames with most nights
Having a woman as DM makes it easier for them to bring in more women. It's easier to invite people to a game you DM, and if men know more men and invite more men, then the same might (but doesn't necessarily) apply to women. Even if they only know men or don't know anyone interested in playing, however, a female DM is a strong way to show that women are not only a part of your group but fully immersed, not just left on the sidelines.
-Make Sure the Environment is Comfortable
I have a friend who stopped going to her D&D group. Why? They brought in a new player who creeped her out. It is absolutely the DM's responsibility to keep the gaming group feeling safe and comfortable. This is especially crucial for women players, and it can occur entirely within the context of the game and still cause discomfort. Keep an eye out for cringing, half-hearted laughing, disengagement, frowning, or other signs of discomfort. Note what provokes them and steer away.
-Focus on Keeping Your Ladies Around
The corollary of focusing on recruiting your ladies.
If one of your ladies leaves the gaming group, make it a point to ask them why they left, and if there's anything you can do about it. It could be as simple as a lack of free time, or they could be experiencing discomfort at the gaming table or have a player motivation that your campaign doesn't provide.
For the latter two, they may not be forthcoming or know how to express their reason. If you suspect one of these issues, bring it up. Say, "Was it X topic?" "Was something making you uncomfortable?" or "Is there anything I could bring into the game to make it more fun?" Try to make the player feel like you're on their side while keeping a certain amount of detachment. (DMs should always, in my mind, keep a certain level of detachment. If you aren't taking something personally, it's easier to handle a lot of issues, including when someone is taking something personally.)
-Make Sure Your Female Players' Characters Get the Spotlight Sometimes
Some DMs have a problem with this in general. In the case of bringing new players into your D&D group, it's probably due to
Another option:
Build a game up from scratch rather than bringing new women in to a male-dominated group. This is the easiest way to get even numbers of men and women, and will keep your game from being over-crowded.
What not to do:
Tell your prospective players anything along the lines of, "I want you for my game because you're a woman." New players can easily feel they're being brought in to fill a quota, whether that's a fourth character, a healer, or, in this case, player gender. It's a really quick way to make people feel unimportant personally or over-pressured.
Keep a player just because she's a woman. Having men and women in your D&D group is important in my mind. However, just like any other player, don't sacrifice the game for her.
For male DMs:
Some male players may turn out to be sexist and/or gender-role biased. When you bring a woman into a previously all-male group, they will alter their behavior negatively or leave them game entirely. If they leave, while that's disappointing, it's also a problem solved. If they don't, that's when the issues truly crop up.
They may ask you questions like, "Why'd you bring This-Girl/These-Girls to our group?" You can, of course, always say something along the lines of, "I thought she'd be a good addition/fun player/etc." I actually wouldn't recommend mentioning the gender ratios in your group. They won't see any reason the group needs women, even if you do.
More problematic is if they become belligerent to the female player, in or out of the game. You can always ask them to stop the behaviors. If they don't, however, it's crucial that you ask them to leave.
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