I may be wrong, but this may be more of an old cultural restriction on females of the subcontinent than religion based. In India and Pakistan, including the Punjab region, and you get the sense it's considered polite not to corner females alone (unless it's urgent business) but it's not infringing on their religion unless they are from the RoP. Sikhism was formed as a rejection of islam. Women can attend their temples (unlike most mosques who do not accept females, and even the "progressive" ones that do segregate them) and have way more rights than muslim females who get treatment and limited rights based on the way the mohamMAD treated his wives.
In areas Hindu areas outside of the Punjab, the locals seem to like having Sikhs around, but not the RoPers. Sikhs are usually armed with their kirpan (one of their "five k's") and have appear to have settled in to a "traditional" role as armed guards. In some areas, all the stores were owned by Hindus, but every single one had a Sikh guard outside armed not only with kirpan, but with shotguns or revolvers too. The modern day equivalent I suppose.
Most Sikhs have been told, from the time they learn to speak, of muslim barbarity, torture and violent forced conversions to islam of both Sikhs and Hindus. After the islamic slaughter of their spiritual leaders, Bhai Mati Das, of wave after wave of Sikhs, they learned to stay armed and watch their backs. They also seem adept in taking in the best aspects from other cultures and assimilating too.
HEAR YE SIKHS OF THE WORLD!!, DON'T EVER FORGET WHAT YOUR GREAT ANCESTORS WENT THROUGH AT THE HANDS OF MUSLIMS (MOGHULS) IN INDIA.
[PLEASE CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE THE PICTURE FOR FULL VIEW]
Brave Sikh mothers watch while 300 infants speared to death during Muslim rule
http://www.hinduunity.org/articles/sikhs/evidence1-4.html
A wide range of painted historical images.
(sorry about the caps...as in the original.)