I was focusing on what Gibb was focusing on. And "sea-chanteys; i.e., work songs sung on board ships" aren't typically sung as work songs on board ships. Maybe there are people who do that, but most of us encounter the songs in other ways.

The main idea behind all of this who-should-sing-what stuff is that 1)things change, and 2)people resist change, 3)and then complain.

In this case, people don't sing work songs on ships like they used to, but the songs are good, and people like to sing. So the songs will continue, hopefully, with their history. After they why and the when and where are gone, what's left is who. I think THAT is why it's come down to gender.

Oh, and here's Norman Kennedy, Waulking