In which ways do you think the female characters were stronger than the men?

Although most of the men of the novel display violent behavior at one point or another in the story and appear to be "in charge," in which ways do you think the female characters were actually stronger?

Birdy, a woman, I think is the strongest character in the book; Lucy has a strong character as well. Birdy is the one who finally put a stop to Crete's curruptness and hold over his family and the vulnerable in the town. Birdy also was a friend to Lila, despite her ingrained fear of strangers, and a grandmother to Lucy, despite not being a blood relative. Birdy also avenged Lila's death, which I believe she had figured out was Crete's doing. The other women in the book, seem resigned to their place in the misogynist town of Henbane.