Surprise: Women’s feet are not simply smaller versions of men’s feet. And yet running shoes have been, for the most part, designed around not just the geometry of a male foot but the biomechanics (or movement patterns) of male runners.
Anatomically, women generally have a wider forefoot and narrower heel than men (think triangular versus rectangular), and tend to have more of a height difference between their heel and forefoot. A woman’s weight is naturally distributed more toward the front of her body, and her feet are just slightly more likely to collapse inward.