I think it's sad that there were only two females in the poll of the 100 Greatest Guitar players of all time. Today, there are plenty of female rock icons, like Karen O and Debbie Harry, however they are usually the vocalists in the band. Mavis Bayton believed that "Male fans buy a guitar; female fans buy a poster", meaning that men and women react and are inspired differently. I can relate to this, my walls are covered in posters. Not that I didn't try to play the guitar, my hands are just too small!
Is it a physical reason why there aren't many female guitarists? I think not, despite my small hands.
If you look a bit deeper, there are (lesser-known) bands with female guitarists; Blood Red Shoes, The Long Blondes and Los Campesinos!, who just haven't made it to the mainstream, but prove that girls CAN play guitars, and maybe in the future, rock may be considered a bit less male, and a bit more female.
While I am interested in your struggle to overcome the guitar handicap of small hands (mine too are rather small, and chords played over four frets are a real strain), there isn't really a great deal of discussion of the question here.
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