When Prabhupada was asked this question that if he was brainwashing ..he had answered that he is indeed washing off the brain of all dirty things accumulated from many births.
16*108 times is the Minimum. There is no difference between name of God and God Himself. Hence taking the name of God is equal to associating with God. Association with God is very much desirable for any one who wants to progress in Spritual.
Chanting is also considered like taking particular Sugar Candy in Jaundice. Sugar Candy tastes very bitter when diseased but it is the cure and when cured one relishes its taste even more. So Hare Krishna may be very difficult at the beginning but one will surely develop purity and taste for it if one continues without offence.
Regarding women being unintelligent, you have got wrong understanding. Prabhupada was always ready to give Bhakti to any one who would be interested to take. He had rather mentioned that he wanted to give chance to every one. While Glorifying Queen Kunti, the Gopies and other great devotees in Srimad Bhagavatam, how can he think of them as less intelligent. He does mention that the Gopies are the greatest devotees.
I may be seeing less women in Hare Krishna Society in your area, but I had been to Hongkong temple recently and this was quite the opposite there. Actually there are lesser devotees rather than less female devotees. If you give regulative principles every one runs ways. They want God realization cheap.
You complain of Brainwashing, yet every one is silent about the advertising industry which even sells toothpaste on sex impulse exploiting women. Why don’t you also speak about this brainwashing. If a women is exploited in name of Advertisement people glorify her and even award her, but if they take up Spiritual path and live a dignified life, they are less-intelligent??