Hands up those who can name five female musical geniuses? How about two? No? Popular culture's rich pantheon is heaving with lady geniuses, but reading the music and mainstream press you wouldn't know it. NME may have voted Beth Ditto the coolest woman in rock last year, yet the influential weekly has never nominated a female musician for its annual Godlike Genius award and shows little interest in female rock and pop stars.

So when I read about the “genius” Rufus Wainwright, who plays London in July, my interest was piqued. One (male) critic notes of his track Agnus Dei that Wainwright manages to refashion the medieval Catholic liturgy into a “brilliantly irrational sprawl of skewed genius taking in Latin-American grooves and a doomy operatic Radioheadesque requiem via traditional Hungarian instruments. Between these polar extremes,” he says, “lies Wainwright's eye for improbable observational finesse.”

Exceptional individuality, imagination and influence; the ability to hold a truckload of different melodies in one's head at once and being able to understand how they interact with one another - these are just some of the qualities associated with genius. Perhaps Rufus is a worthy candidate, but I can think of tons of women, past and present, who tick these boxes. And then some.

Take Kate Bush. Ever since the electrifying Wuthering Heights in 1978, Bush has not only pushed the boundaries with her consistently exceptional and original compositions, but she has paved the way for successive lady geniuses, including Björk and Alison Goldfrapp.

The Icelandic singer-songwriter has created an extraordinarily diverse cultural legacy (pop, jazz, experimental, choral and chamber music via the work of the poet ee cummings, playwright Sarah Kane and film-maker Harmony Korine) and influenced the likes of the young prodigy Bishi, the glam-folk electronica artist who at the age of 25 is already gracing the Tate and mixing it up with the London Symphony Orchestra. Goldfrapp is a singer-songwriter of beguiling complexity. She cites Bush and Dolly Parton as influences.

When Parton came 94th in a poll of the top 100 living geniuses, she rejected the accolade, stating that she would rather be a cartoon than a genius. “A cartoon character is how I see myself and it's worked for me for 40 years.” Was this simply genial modesty or a sad reminder that she, like many women, finds praise hard to accept?

Let's not limit our sample base to the West. The late Egyptian musician Umm Kulthum has attained near mythical status in the Arab world. More than 30 years since her death her recordings sell in their millions, with many joking that the one thing Jews and Arabs can agree on is that Kulthum is the greatest musician ever.

But it's not just men who appear reluctant to celebrate female talent. Women also often avoid using the G-word in reference to other women. The truth is we're simply not encouraged to think about females, musicians or otherwise, in this way.

There is hope, however. When the Foo Fighters' guitar hero Dave Grohl toured with the singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist Kaki King, he introduced her thus: “There are some guitar players who are good, some who are really f***ing good and then there's Kaki King.” Perhaps the music revolution will be feminised after all.

Kaki King, Glee Club, Birmingham, July 4; Rufus Wainwright, Kenwood, London NW3, July 5; Dolly Parton, 02 Arena, London SE10, July 5. Jane Czyzselska is editor of Diva

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