As culture wars rage during this campaign season, we thought Women’s History Month would be a good time for songs about gender stereotypes that define and confine, and the women who break through.

1. Girls With Guitars Wynonna; Tell Me Why (MCA)
2. I’m Gonna Be An Engineer Peggy Seeger; Period Pieces-Women’s Songs for Men And Women (Tradition)
3. Keep Woman In Her Sphere Elizabeth Knight; Songs Of The Suffragettes (Folkways)
4. Keep Young And Beautiful Annie Lennox; Diva (Arista)
5. Not A Pretty Girl Ani DiFranco; So Much Shouting, So Much Laughter (Righteous Babe)
6. When I Was A Boy Dar Williams; The Honesty Room (Razor & Tie)
7. Woman In Chains Tears For Fears; The Seeds Of Love (Island Def Jam)

For more songs on this topic, visit GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Feminism, Gender Conflicts and  Gender Stereotypes.

In previous lists for Women’s History Month, SongsAbout.com has looked at female heroes, the feminist movement, and the spirit of women who will not be kept down. For Women’s History Month 2011, we focus on women at work – the discrimination, the low pay, but also the ability and determination to do whatever work they choose.

1. 9 to 5 Dolly Parton; 9 to 5 And Odd Jobs (RCA) Don’t be fooled by the humor. Parton’s description of harassment, low pay and underappreciation is no joke.
2. Company Time Linda Davis; Shoot For The Moon (Arista) This song describes the classic bind: a single mother torn between caring for her children and the discriminatory workplace where she earns the paycheck to support them.
3. Dirty Sheets Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women; Hot Flash (Alligator) A blues song about cleaning women who labor all week, yet can’t afford rent — all the more tragic because it is just as true as it was when released 20 years ago.
4. I’m Gonna Be An Engineer Peggy Seeger; Period Pieces-Women’s Songs For Men And Women (Tradition) Remember the bad old days, when girls were discouraged from careers in science? Let’s not go back.
5. Mill Worker Cris Williamson; Circle Of Friends (Wolf Moon) The soul-killing drudgery of factory work leaves this single mother wondering how she ended up in a dead-end life.
6. She’s Not Just A Pretty Face Shania Twain; Up! (Mercury) To close the list, a song in the spirit of women’s independence. Women can do any job!

For more songs on this subject, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Feminism and Work: Women in the Workplace.

Music hasn’t caught up with women’s equality, at least if you measure that by songs about famous and inspiring women. So GreenBookofSongs.com® has compiled this list of songs for Women’s History Month, representing the stories of five great women who deserve to be heralded in song.

• Clara Barton Country Joe McDonald; Thank The Nurse (Rag Baby).  Country Joe left politics out of this song about the famous Civil War nurse and humanitarian. He lets her heroism shine — whether reuniting families torn by the war, or in her later years, when she helped establish the American Red Cross. Click here to listen to a sample on Amazon.com.
• Eleanor Jonathan Sprout; More American Heroes (Sprout).  Sprout has written many children’s songs about American heroes, none better than this tribute to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who worked tirelessly to help others. Click here to listen to a sample on Amazon.com.
• Song For Rachel Walkin’ Jim Stoltz; Little Piece Of Earth (Wild Wind).  Folk singer Stoltz dedicated this song to Rachel Carson, an environmentalist whose book “Silent Spring” warned of the dangers of pesticides to the birds that herald spring. Click here to listen to a sample on Stoltz’s website
• True Story Of Amelia Earhart Plainsong; Plainsong (Water).  This aviation pioneer logged a lifetime of firsts. She was, for example, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Both her courageous life and her tragic death are captured in this song. Click here to listen to a sample on Amazon.com.
• Who’s The Best Female Pitcher Phil Coley; Sports Songs And Beyond (King Of The Road Music).  Did you know that a 17-year-old female pitcher named Jackie Mitchell struck out the mighty Babe Ruth? AND the great Lou Gehrig? This little-known athlete will be an inspiration to anyone who’s ever thrown a ball. Click here to listen to a sample on Amazon.com.

See the GreenBookofSongs.com® category Feminism for more songs about women heroes!

There aren’t enough songs about the women who fought for the rights of half the population! Here are a few to enjoy during Women’s History Month.

1. Carry On [Susan B. Anthony] Jonathan Sprout; More American Heroes (Sprout)
2. Death Of Mother Jones Gene Autry; Freedom-Songs From Heart Of America-C (Columbia/Legacy)
3. Mother Of Pearl [Feminists] Nellie McKay; Obligatory Villagers (Vanguard)
4. Sacajawea Kristin Lems; Imagine That! Songs For Creative Teachers (Carolsdatter)
5. Taxation Tyranny [Suffrage] Elizabeth Knight; Songs Of The Suffragettes (Folkways)

Find more songs on this topic in GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Feminism and Celebrities & Famous Names: American Heroes.

A collection of songs about women’s achievements, and the spirit that drives them.

1. Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight Plainsong; Plainsong (Water)
2. Can’t Hold Us Down Christina Aguilera featuring Lil’ Kim; Stripped (RCA)
3. Let Us All Speak Our Minds Elizabeth Knight; Songs Of The Suffragettes (Folkways)
4. Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin; Eurythmics’ Greatest Hits (Arista)
5. Sojourner Truth Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick; Ballads Of Black America (Folkways)
6. Who Said Miley Cyrus; ST/Hannah Montana (Walt Disney)
7. Who’s The Best Female Pitcher? Phil Coley; Sports Songs And Beyond (King Of The Road Music)

 ST = Soundtrack

Fore more songs on this topic, see GreenBookofSongs.com® categories Feminism and Celebrities & Famous Names: American Heroes.