The reality is women are creeped out by many men on dating sites and apps. If you don't believe me, go talk to some women and ask them about their experiences. Or go read the /r/creepypms subreddit, which isn't just concerned with online dating but shows you what women have to deal with online.

This pushes them towards only interacting with the most attractive and witty men who create a sense of safety. Whether that sense of safety is false is up for debate, but I do think this is what drives a large amount of inequality in online dating. Men are generally not scared of or creeped out by women they interact with online, so their standards online are closer to their standards in real-life.