OED: feminine- adjective
1 having qualities traditionally associated with women, especially delicacy and prettiness.
2 female.
3 Grammar referring to a gender of nouns and adjectives, conventionally regarded as female
Female is enough surely. That describes the simply biological facts of being of one gender rather than the other. The flick of the switch in the uterus that determines whether the foetus will be a girl rather than a boy. That is all we need to know about a person in terms of their gender.
What is the word 'feminine' for? Do we really need to describe a person in terms of how they interpret their gender? 'Feminine' is used as a way to describe, but more significantly prescribe behaviour.
"Don't climb that tree, that isn't feminine."
"Isn't that a pretty dress, it's so feminine?"
Give a child a gender and then let them get on with it. Don't load them down with a word that carries with it so much baggage and so many rules.
We don't have feminine and masculine nouns so we don't need it for that purpose.
And it would also do away with the hideous phrase 'feminine hygiene products which would be a worthy aim in itself I am sure you will agree! Oh and 'feminine mystique' ..
Discuss.
Please (cos I is a female and therefore non-confrontational )
PS. Masculine could go too.