She has neither the time nor the freedom to visit dance houses and taverns, where music is made. Still less will she have the time to learn the intricacies of mastering a musical instrument. Even if she succeeded there would be no time to play it around the home. Conversely, taverns and dance houses are the province of men and consequently it is men who learn to play music. Rice sums up a musical division of labour as black and white as the keys on Jane Turriff's piano.
Women become singers and men become musicians.
That is fine as far as it goes. From what I know of other living traditions, pre-war Ireland for example, I would suggest that elsewhere the division is not quite as stark as it appears in Bulgaria. Nevertheless, it exists. Moreover, while Rice's thesis explains the preponderance of women singers, it does not account for the passion with which they so often sing. To find a deeper explanation we need to delve further into women's status in rural society.