In our system we believe that the style was founded by the buddhist nun Ng Mei in the early 1700's.
... in my opinion there are just to many things that fit with this style being developed by a female.
I'm sorry, but from my perspective, there are too many historical gaps and contradictions to take the story of Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun literally. But don't take it personally. I feel the same way about the Bible. And, like biblical parables, the story of Ng Mui and Yim Wing Chun certainly contains the essential truths of our Wing Chun/Tsun heritage. Just as a biblical parable teaches us how we should live, so these "Wing Chun parables" teach us how we should approach our kung fu. We may never be able to prove that the system was invented by women...but it should have been!