Sentence:  Twice in her thirty-year career she held office in the blacksmiths' guild. Ms. [Fya] upper Bach was no fluke, either: legal and guild records from medieval Germany list other <WSD>female</WSD> blacksmiths, coppersmiths, tinsmiths, and pewterers. Some of these redoubtable women gained entry into the guild through "widow's rights";  others, however, made it on sheer mettle and muscle. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Belonging to the sex which typically produces eggs (ova), or to the gender which is typically associated with it. (from 14th c.)