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Yes.

131 (51.2%)

No.

96 (37.5%)

I don't view either gender as having facial hair.

2 (0.8%)

What the hell is a dwarve?

11 (4.3%)

I think Toady said something about this one time, and I'm too spineless to make a wrong guess that might contradict DF canon.

16 (6.3%)

Total Members Voted: 256

[Christes]

My female dwarves go outside all the time.

They're in the military, you see.

[Kogan Loloklam]

That's different. They have to do that to prevent their children from becoming cave adapted. And they still soak themselves in multiple layers of vomit just to be sure the harsh sun doesn't get them.

[GlyphGryph]

One of the best parts about DF is the amazing gender equality - both culturally and physically, and I think thats cool.

In addition, when working underground and at high altitudes, and living in tunnels likely full of particulates that are potentially harmful, beards would clearly be selected for as both filtering mechanisms and warming mechanisms, so it makes more sense to me.

So my vote is for beards.

(and to all those who say human women don't have beards so dwarves wouldn't... uh, actually most human women DO have facial hair, its just fine and there's very little of it. It wouldn't take that much drift from the standard to get bearded women, especially since Dwarven women are agreed to have most of the other linked traits that tend to go with heavier beard growth ie more masculinity, so, uh, thats a crappy argument. While I respect your decision to picture them however you wish, poor arguments aren't going to convince anyone.)

[Christes]

One of the best parts about DF is the amazing gender equality - both culturally and physically, and I think thats cool.

I second that.  Maybe it's just my bizarre sensibilities, but I love the super-egalitarian dwarves. 

[Flaede]

One of the best parts about DF is the amazing gender equality - both culturally and physically, and I think thats cool.

I second that.  Maybe it's just my bizarre sensibilities, but I love the super-egalitarian dwarves. 

Haha. Super-egalitarian dwarves... killing off nobles who don't work and anyone who doesn't contribute? hmm. problems there.

[Kay]

Clearly, the female dwarves have beards that fall off after they have their first child.

Okay, now I'm just coming up with crackpot theories, but it's fun.

[G-Flex]

In addition, when working underground and at high altitudes, and living in tunnels likely full of particulates that are potentially harmful, beards would clearly be selected for as both filtering mechanisms and warming mechanisms, so it makes more sense to me.

This is actually a good point, although I still say that beards as "filtering mechanisms" is kind of sketchy.

[Sergius]

Female dwarfs have their beards "down there".

[Kay]

Female dwarfs have their beards "down there".

Do these also fall off?

[Jackrabbit]

Thank you, disturbing image. 

[LegoLord]

In addition, when working underground and at high altitudes, and living in tunnels likely full of particulates that are potentially harmful, beards would clearly be selected for as both filtering mechanisms and warming mechanisms, so it makes more sense to me.

This is actually a good point, although I still say that beards as "filtering mechanisms" is kind of sketchy.

I'm fairly sure I mentioned that earlier, but oh well.  Natural caves do have dust too    jus' 'splaining my reasonin'.

[Flaede]

don't underestimate the cultural selection. IMO if a society uses beards for baby-carriers, fishing nets/lines/lures, threshing screens etc... then women with the strongest and most luxurious beards would totally make for better more productive wives.

 I can see the slogan "my beard is my dowry" catching on...

...and if Dwarves still reproduce by spores like all the other DF critters... beards would likely be filters for that "airborne contaminant", too.

hehehee - "I don't just open my beard for anyone"

[brainfire]

Okay, I'm officially horrified. Good job.

[Mikko]

don't underestimate the cultural selection. IMO if a society uses beards for baby-carriers, fishing nets/lines/lures, threshing screens etc... then women with the strongest and most luxurious beards would totally make for better more productive wives.

 I can see the slogan "my beard is my dowry" catching on...

...and if Dwarves still reproduce by spores like all the other DF critters... beards would likely be filters for that "airborne contaminant", too.

hehehee - "I don't just open my beard for anyone"

This has to be declared canon until Toady adds sex.

[Johnny]

I'm very attached to both sexes having beards, so I thought I'd look up some physiological justifications for their presence.  The Wikipedia article on testosterone gives plenty of evidence for a hormonal explanation of the fantasy trope.  I'm hoping that it can be taken as agreed that dwarven women share many other physical characteristics with dwarven men, not least of which being similar concentrations of muscle mass (there appears to be no sexual division of labor in the dwarf fortress canon, though that extends to all of the simulated races, so it is possible that greater sexual dimorphism is a planned bloat).  Given that testosterone levels and the body's response to them govern things like muscle growth/density, growth of jaw, facial bone contours, breadth of shoulders, deepening of voice, bone density, and, of course, facial/body hair, it seems safe to assume that a female dwarf would be quite capable of growing a full and lustrous beard.

Of course, that list leaves out that it also impacts height, and several other things relating to the fertility rate of a fortress.  Not to mention that this is gleaned from made-up evidence about fictional creatures.  Still, this is a land where little green men make war from the backs of their velociraptor-like "beak dogs" and cave gigantism turns spiders into the scourge of civilized people.