'Females.'

[Toenailz]

Anyone else cringe when people refer to women as 'females' in the context of completely casual conversation? And also wonder where the fuck it started and why it's become so popular?

Usually utilised by men referring to women as 'females' and, on here, usually by scorned women referring to another woman that their DH is being in some way inappropriate with, as 'another female' or 'a female'.

Yeah yeah, the correct biological terms and all, but can't help feeling this has a rather sexist connotation to reduce women to less, as usual?

Yes, always female people.

In the context of the trans debate there are always people who say the word "female" refers to sex and the word "woman" refers to gender (ignoring the fact that some male people say they are female) and my response is always that we have a word for the female of every other species and we need a word for female humans. Female isn't species specific. It is absolutely dehumanising to refer to women simply as females. Female what? Fish? Monkeys? Goats?

I’ve noticed that there’s often a pattern with men who refer to women as ‘females’ - it tends to align with a lack of healthy relationships with women in their lives. I also find it off-putting when women adopt this language, as it feels like internalised male-centric thinking.

Similarly, men referring to adult women as ‘girls’ is another red flag for me. It speaks volumes about their mindset.

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Absolutely agree. The premise of the OP though is, I think, that the use of “female” as a noun is what gets her goat.

So, I think several of us are in agreement that woman is the noun we want to use, and will use in the context of “the woman with black hair”, but if we’re discussing, for example, the provision of a rape crisis centre we may feel we need to say “female only” rather than “women only”?

But we wouldn’t say “females only” (plural), would we? Because we’re using female as an adjective.
In fact, I’m now thinking I might start saying “women’s sport, by which I mean sport for female people” deliberately.

Hmmm…

You answered your own question with the first two “alternatives”

Exactly. The way the world has gone now it's sex not gender that's key. The tide has definitely turned & the pushback has been fantastic however we must not let our guard slip. Females cannot be eradicated, the word is gaining power & momentum. Governments from the USA to the Netherlands are feeding much more conservative as is the electorate. The Trans Activists are not living this global shift towards conservatism one bit ❄️❄️❄️

It's always used by men. It feels really degrading.

No, why would they be?

'Girls' and 'women' are the correct English nouns for female human children and female human adults, and many posters have pointed this out already.

I’m genuinely interested in why you ask that.

It's in the context and equivalence imo. Medical situation? Males and females is fine. Describing the people in a group? "Five men and four women" would be my preference. If someone who worded things unusually preferred "five males and four females" it wouldn't bother me. I hate "five men and four females" though. Absolutely screams of incel to me.

Whilst I understand it's difficult - this is exactly playing in their hands and contributing to it, though.

Women editing their normal language so as not to offend men in dresses, basically. The dresses part isn't even necessary to be fair. Altering our language so as to not offend men, whilst we are simply reduced to a sex, rather than an adult human woman.

Tale as old as time.