Which adds more difficulty?

[Insertclevername]

Gangs or events? I've yet to try out either but I don't feel like having both on and I don't feel like making two different prisons to test each out, so if you guys could tell me that would be great.

[Insertclevername]

Also, which is more difficult when it comes to the genders? All I know is that women require special buildings and men require more guards.

[Jet City Gambler]

Gangs aren't particularly difficult, you can meet their needs just like any other prisoner. They take over certain rooms and you can't change their cells, but that's handled pretty easily. If you get a leader and they start recruiting, you may have to build a supermax wing for them to keep them isolated. They're kind of a drain on your prison though, as they don't attend reform programs so you get less of the early release bonuses and fewer workers for your kitchens and workshops.

Some events can be quite a challenge in the short-term, especially the one where you get 20-30 gang members (often including a legendary) from another prison.

Running a women's prison can be interesting, you do need family cells for the mommies but they're just a small fraction of your population. Female prisoners are generally less violent, need less exercise but more hygiene, and are more likely to attend reform programs.

I'd say turn on both gangs and events, it's not all that difficult, but you'll enjoy the occasional challenges.

[nicko_viteh]

If you want to have gangs in your prison, they are a 24/7 problem, but low-level danger and a good security system will help a lot. Events are one-time problems, like pipe bursts or fires, but when you solve them, the prison becomes normal again.

In my experience, events are not a big deal. The only recomendation is having your prisoners behind at least two walls (there's the "landslide event" where some walls are demolished). And also try to have low the danger level of the prison, because some events could disrupt the "equilibrium of the system" (shower or food time missed could be a big problem if there are high danger levels).

[Exhausted_Ewok]

I would say gangs, whenever 2 people from different gangs see each other they try to kill each other. Events include weather, fires, etc. But those can be fixed. It is nearly impossible to stop an entire gang of angry, restricted men.