ABSTRACT
Although women have been making contributions to rock music since its birth, their presence in the discourses of rock has remained limited. This chapter explores the reasons behind the exclusion of women by taking a look at the origins of the genre itself – along with the inclusions and exclusions it has involved. It is not my intention to write the history of women’s music – that has already been done elsewhere (see, e.g. O’Brien 2003, Whiteley 2000, and Gaar 1992). Rather, my focus will be on the ways in which femininity and masculinity have been constructed in the discourses of rock.
