Tons of females are AAS-free, and at all levels of muscular development. Of course there is also plenty of usage across the board and with the greater (hardcore) usage as you move more towards the extreme end of the spectrum..meaning, the percentage using at bikini level will be much lower, along with a much higher % mild or non-androgenics at those levels where there's a stronger emphasis of female aesthetics.
Women's natural bodybuilding (which is primarily what it was pre-early 90's) was already getting tremendously popular even way back then, and with loads of mainstream contest coverage on the top sports networks ESPN & NBC. Then as the usage (sides) increased the coverage and popularity dropped WBB off map. NOT because the usage is bad or wrong necessarily, but because at that time there was no blueprint being implemented from an organizational/PR standpoint. Pretty much since Cory Everson's reign ended you've had hardcore usage thru natty all mixed up together instead of properly compartmentalized, which is precisely what created the entire judging (with placings all over the map) dilemma. And with this being the case for the last 20 yrs there's been virtually ZERO competitiveness in the "sport/art"...and it's still a pretty big cluster f*ck. This whole let's keep inching things towards more usage/sides methodology has never worked. Why? Because whenever the standard being represented goes down (for that given market) then the switch for the mainstream power grid gets pulled. Again, this does not mean that there's no place for usage or pushing the boundaries, just that until it gets properly promoted within the right structure and format then it will continue to consume itself.
Women's Natural Bodybuilding is in fact gaining popularity again...but it's called "Crossfit" The rise of Crossfit is also a primary reason why females are empowered and getting into going heavy n hard again. Crossfit has filled the void that WBB and the political mess in the other divisions still have. The other big difference now is that real UASDA level testing will be coming into the picture, so that "tested and non-tested" shows will actually be legit.
This notion that females cannot develop size and quality without gear is one of the common misconceptions. The basic hypertrophy process is still the same with or without. The AAS just accelerates the process and aids in recovery. Just like with men, women have different genetics for muscle growth...some naturally grow like weeds..ala a Christy Resendes, Holland Canter, Shawna Walker, etc. While it's true that women only have trace amounts of test compared to men they have 3 times the amount of natural GH. This is why there are women who can get major gains while still maintaining their fem aesthetics, and often those genetic attributes go together.