I think that it is more related to how the person/handler acts. If someone, male or female, is full of tension and nerves, then the snake is going to pick-up on that and be tense. My BCI is particularly sensitive to this type of thing. If a nervous person is handling him, he tends to grasp tightly with his tail in the hopes (I guess) that he won't fall or be dropped.
I do think that snakes can differentiate between people, definately. Everyone has their own heat signature (that pythons can differentiate) and style of moving and standing (that snakes such as boas, snakes without heat pits, can sense.) These are my thoughts