Why don't girls ask guys out?

I was chatting to a friend today and he asked me "Why don't girls ask guys out?"

I said to him that 1) If a girl asks a guy out, she might be..too forward and 2) girls can't handle rejection that well.
He said that there's nothing wrong with a girl asking a guy out coz he says life is about taking risks.

Now, in this day and age where women fight for equal rights. We want to get the same jobs as men, we want to be treated like we can do anything that a man can do. So why should we not ask men out? We are taught to be more independent, you know; we want a man, we don't need him! We are taught to be go-getters, hustlers, go for what you want, grab life by the balls..lol
Does asking a man out fall under this category of "grabbing life by the balls"? or is that taking it to a whole new level?
Women don't want to be seen as desperate. We flirt with men, you know, the subtle signals, like,laughing at all his jokes, even the lame ones that make you cringe inside..lol.. but other than that, we don't want to throw ourselves at you.
There's also the well known fact that men like the chase. Far as I know, men don't want anything that comes easy. So if you ask him out, are you not coming easy? They say a man will only appreciate you if he has to work hard to get you. So, we want to be appreciated, we won't ask you out, even if he pine for you every time we see you..lol

I believe that a woman cannot make a man be with her. If a man is not ready or does not want to be with her, he will not regardless of how many times she asks him out. And then the heart broken woman ends up hard hearted and maybe a little bitter at the fact that when she reached out,opened up, wore her heart on her sleeve, she fell flat on her face.
Men, on the other hand have the game, the swagger, they have the ability to make a woman fall for them.If they play their cards right, even the nastiest looking man can get with a halle berry look-a-like..lol..my point is, men have what it takes and in the end, its men that have the commitment issues, so they are the ones that have to decide when they're ready to settle down and then ask a girl out. Coz if she asks when he's not ready, it just does not end well..

I don't know why men would want girls to ask them out anyways, its just going to spoil the fun for you. You know you love the challenge...lol