How are people still calling folks “females”?
1. Let’s do better about Conflating Gender Expression and Sex
Importantly, I want to also offer a distinction between two concepts: Gender expression (aka gender presentation or gender reception), which is about how someone is seen by others and how that fits in a societal concept of genders (men/masculine/masc, women/feminine/femme, gender-nonconforming, gender-fluid, etc. Sex is a biological division (male, female, intersex) based on things like genetics and reproductive anatomy. Someone doesn’t know I’m female unless they have checked my genetics and reproductive anatomy, and really, most people don’t do that sort of check on most other people they interact with, so when someone uses this as a classifier outside of a medical context, it’s a weird little reference to their private bodies and uncomfortable.
2. Let’s do better about erasing those in the group that someone might call “female” but not actually be female.
b. Trans Women
3. Let’s do better about equality in grammar
The word “female,” in its primary usage, is an adjective. When you use “female” as a noun, the subject that you’re referring to is reduced to their biology. Men are not referred to as “males” in the same and frequency.
4. Let’s do better about honoring whole people in our language
I think it’s really important for us to consider carefully when grouping people by gender presentation whether or not it’s really necessary, and learn better terms than those that are potentially both inaccurate and marginalizing. Sometimes it’s super relevant and important to the story or conversation, but if it isn’t important for the context, perhaps we identify a group as “people” instead of assuming their gender. J
5. Some varied & imperfect takes that may be useful in aggregate
(Warning that there is plenty problematic throughout this body of articles, but my writing tends to be a little stiff and I think pop culture articles add flavors and perspective to help build a clearer explanation)
a. Damon Young of Very Smart Brothers (The Root)
b. Stop Using “Female” When You Mean “Woman” (Golin)
d. Stop Calling Women “Females” (Daily Nexus)
e. 6 Reasons You Should Stop Referring To Women As “Females” Right Now (Buzzfeed)
f. The Problem with Referring to Women as “Females” (Perspective)
g. The Problem With Calling Women ‘Females’ (Jezebel)
Why Do Some Men Call Women “Females”? (Vocal Media)
