In this particular case, I have a hard time excusing the behavior of the accused interlopers given that this is a women’s conference that has been a recurring event for quite some time and has always been a women’s conference.

A bit of a nit, but consider there has always been a percentage of men to this conference. Reading online, between 5-10%. So it’s not like it’s a first for men to be there.

as if they cannot be expected to regulate their behavior in a professional context

Oh no, that’s not the point. My point is more along the line of “maybe they are in such conditions where they can’t afford the luxury of giving up potential opportunities to respect dynamics which are on a more abstract level compared to the immediate needs”. Then I would also argue that going there is a huge waste of 600$ and will give 0 chances, but that’s another topic.