Just defend yourself reasonably with as much restraint as you can practice, regardless of gender.
As for as much restraint as you can practice, that will vary depending on the situation, i.e., if they are continuously trying to claw your eyes or privates, then unless you a a professional fighter, you probably won't have the skills to subdue them without harming them to make them back off.
But if 80 pound 4'9 Dinkles swings at you with full force, and hurts his hand on your chest and is pushed backward without you doing anything, then I don't think that warrants clocking him in the face and breaking his nose and teeth. Same thing with 90 pound Peaches, who just slapped you and broke a nail.
But if muscular 250 lb 6'7 Gertrude is winding up to slam you with her gorilla fists and break your ribs, then... Well then you should probably run, because if you try to fight back, then Gertrude will probably end you.
tl;dr I'm laughing imagining these human beings, also, retaliate reasonably as necessity dictates, yada yada yada, stuff we've already heard a million times already,