Whilst I can't comment on women's issues in "folk" perse, I can comment on my own experience as a woman around musicians over the last 25 years - it seemed to me that women were fairly marginalised in the group I hung out with during my early adult life.

In retrospect it is kind of suprising, because I was in that mix of early post-Vietnam days; we were into discarding the past generations beliefs, and dreaming of our own utopia. Dope played a fairly big part in it all, as did the arts (especially music). Instead of re-inventing role stereo types, I think we just re-phrased them. The lads would go off, have a joint, play music whilst us women kind of rolled over, baked them nice things to eat, took care of the kids and sang privately in our kitchens.

The lads were "serious" musicians you see and we were their dotting audience. I think you had to be a really strong woman to make it musically then.

It's very pleasant now to finally "come out" and my standing on a stage to sing also is a personal statement of self validation.

I suspect the folk world is also less ego driven, and accepting of all.