can women be paedophiles?

[mummynetter]

this

When someone abuses underage kids, they are both sex offenders and paedos are they not??

No. There is both a medical and legal distinction between the two. If this woman had a lifetime attraction to pre-pubescent boys to the exclusion of any other sexual attraction THEN she might be considered a paedophile.

Life-time compulsion and pre-pubescent are the two main distinctions.

Read about this story. I don't know if she is a paedo or not, I guess if it was a man having sex with 14 year old girls he would be classed as a paedo so why shouldn't she.

Because even if it was a man he wouldn't be classified as a paedophile. He would be classified as a sex offender. Medically and legally, paedophiles are compulsively attracted to pre-pubescent children.

Does it matter whether you call them a sex offender or a paedophile? They are both sick people.

I was thinking the same thing paulaplumpbottom. The previous poster thinks there is a huge difference betweem sex offender & paedophile.

The previous poster simply has a strong preference for the use of language to be specific and precise, most particularly when used in reference to the human condition, and especially when debating issues of a moral or ethical nature.