Hi Elizabeth,

Sorry if this has raised your ire!

Technically and biologically, the science of DNA is such that the male Y-chromosome, which is only possessed by the male and is passed down intact from father to son, tracking the male line, mutates at a rate of change (once every 2-300 years roughly) and which hence can be observed and tracked over a genealogical timescale.

The female equivalent piece of DNA, which is passed down intact from mother to female child and downwards, (tracking the female line) the mitochondrial DNA, mutates far more slowly eg once every 10-15000 years. This means that large numbers of women will show the same MtDNA profile but will not be related at all within the last 10,000 years - thus there is no scope for differentation and connection of recent families.

Finally there are new, autosomal DNA tests, which both men and women can take. They are not suitable yet for the Manx DNA project as:-
a) Their results will not answer the questions currently being asked in this project
b) They are twice the cost of Y-DNA tests
c) Few people in Europe have yet taken them
d) Any interpretation of results so far are very tenuous

There is nothing gender- or male-elitist in any of this - other than the reality of biology. If I remember correctly it still takes two to tango!
cheers

John