The achievement of good recognition performance is an important factor in determining the viability of present speech recognisers. A person's ability to maintain consistent speech patterns is a prerequisite for attaining acceptable recognition rates. This consistency in pronunciation varies between individuals and gender is thought to be a contributing variable. Two experiments primarily concerned with feedback in speech recognition systems are outlined with particular reference to gender differences. Findings include: (i) a significant overall difference between male and female recognition rates; (ii) identification of a number of users, all female, for whom recognition was exceptionally poor. Remedial actions are suggested in order to help improve the recognition performance of such users.