Language question - man/woman or male/female - is one about sex and the other gender?

30 replies

GruffaIo · 22/03/2022 12:23

This came up at work. If someone distinguishes between 'man' or 'woman', do you understand that to be a distinction based on sex or gender? Similarly, what if someone distinguishes between 'male' and 'female' - sex or gender? Only the two options (man/woman and male/female) are available so there are no other clues.

I thought one thing and was told another, so thought I would check with those more knowledgeable than me!

OP posts:

Anomalocaris · 22/03/2022 12:32

Both relate to sex.

Likewise bitch/dog, hen/cock, cow/bull, ewe/ram etc.

Original poster

GruffaIo · 22/03/2022 12:31

Interesting. It's Athena Swan. Originally, data was collected under the heading 'gender' and colleagues publicly entered 'male' or 'female'. They were free to pick other descriptors but no-one did and I left mine blank.

The heading remains 'gender' but the descriptors have now been changed to 'man' and 'woman'. I was asked to complete mine and said now it was showing sex, I would but that I had left it blank between the descriptors were gender-based. The reply I got was that man/woman is gender-based, having corrected it from using male/female (also intended to be gender-based) and I am wondering if that is right.

OP posts:

RoseslnTheHospital · 22/03/2022 12:28

Man/Woman is sex, for adult humans
Male/Female is sex, for any living sexed thing
Masculine/Feminine is gender

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/03/2022 12:24

I would say the distinction in both cases is sex. I've been told before that feminine and masculine refer to gender. I find gender as a concept troubling so would prefer to avoid it altogether. There's no getting away from one's sex, but I see no reason to buy into gender stereotypes.

AchillesPoirot · 22/03/2022 12:24

Man woman is sex and male female is gender?

Unflip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread