I noticed that blt mentioned several Appalachian ladies. I think many times a song is not only representative of male/female or a particular time in history, but rather, it represents the culture of a region. I'm thinking of Hard is the Fortune/Wagoner's Lad/Pretty Saro. It plaintively expresses the feelings of a woman in a society which doesn't always place much emphasis on a woman's feelings.

Spaw had a nice comment about this here.

If you put the words "hard is the fortune" in the search box (without the quotes) you'll find discussions about this song. I would also recommend hearing Tinker sing it on PalTalk.

Don't forget to do a search on lullabies. They are not strictly for women, but some of the ballads seem to be telling a story from the woman's point of view.