Margaret V - "guitar-swiping as dominance" You may be right. I only know that I have seen similar situations and the woman appears to be exected to give up her instrument and, at least once, the male borrower was in no hurry to return it. Fortunately most of my experiences in song circles and the like have treated the women participants with respect and equality.

Alice - "I think there are men who feel this way about being fathers, too" Count me in there! I have a special friend who told me less than an hour ago that my kids are special because of there father. I am a parent first and a career employee third. (Music has to fit in there too.)

Peter T - I have been working in coffeehouses and concert series for five or six years now. It's been my experience that your points, at least in the venues I've been working, are all true. I repeat them here:

1) Women are not demeaned or ghettoized in the folk/blues world; 2) Women get paid equally with men for equal work; 3) Women have equivalent power in producing, getting studio jobs, festival venues, etc. 4) Women can take up any instrument or kinds of music without it seeming strange or a "novelty" act; 5) Women get equal billing.

Unfortunately I cannot speak to Point 3 with the exception of the concerts I have worked.

However I would like to point out that the people who organize most of the concerts in this area are women! The director of the Chocolate Church is a woman as is the resident and chief organizer of the Bath-Brunswick Folk Club. The person who originally started the Side Door Coffeehouse is a woman and the person who runs it now is too. We all put great emphasis on featuring women whenever possible. There are many women performers in the area but they are vastly outnumbered by the men and they don't play out often enough to get into our venues. Tonight at the Mocha Cafe I know of only one woman who will be there specifically to perform on her own. The others are partners or supporting friends.

Anyway, we all agree there is a lot of work to be done to right the wrongs that women face daily. The problem is that we are not the problem. And we have limited power to push the solution. But we need to keep trying. I want my daughters to have a good fulfilling life without too many obstacles. Please wish them luck.