I can't help but notice a vast chasm separating variations in power and how it's distributed unevenly between the sexes (with X-Men being a prime example; but on a larger scale, throughout comic history)

If you start dividing the men from the women, you'll see a distinct pattern: Men are more likely to develop physically based powers setting them in the heat of battle and women manifest more elemental & mental abilities allowing them a safer distance from harm. Not to say there aren't exceptions to the rule i.e. Cyclops, Havok, Frenzy, Husk

I understand that as women have elevated their status in society that, as with breaking those social stigmas, women in comics gain more physical strength and grow in roles that would otherwise have been reserved for men, but why does the trend continue...or am I mistaken in my observation?

nobody?

It was pretty obvious, especially in the begining w/ Jean being the only girl, and w/ telepathy. It was said somewhere that they gave female characters less physically demanding powers so they wouldn't have to "grapple" w/ their enemies as much (b/c that wasn't the lady like thing to do back then). I agree that u still tend to have more males w/ the physical mutations; however, X-men were kind of like the pioneer team of their day b/c of that fact that they featured so many strong females equal to their male counterparts. That being said, the power predisposition is also just related to the "good old fashioned" sexism that is still heavily featured in comics today....it may be a bit less obvious to some, but it's definitely still there. *shrug*