Women, female or lady

[Jossse]

Just looking for some feedback about what everyone likes to call (or be called) women, females or lady professionals.
I'm sure many of you, like me don't want to be called any gender term.
But when you're in a group or describing people other than 'they' what is your favoured term.
Please be kind to me I'm doing some research for a potential business idea. I have spent ages researching articles and scrambling my brains and know that you will all give me fantastic answers in true MN style


your question is really unclear OP
are you planning to sell something to a group of women who aren't well catered for?
eg hard hats for women in construction? In which case I'd be saying-
'women in construction! finally- the solution to those pesky too big helmet blues! in a range of high vis colours, femme-hat has got your head covered!'
Or, are you wanting people to understand that your service is delivered by women, in which case-
'Trust our all-female team to do an excellent job at a great price, all highly qualified tradeswomen who take pride in their work AND without patronising you'

@EishetChayil

Personally, I prefer to be referred to as a "body with a vagina".

said no woman ever

I do like it when my doctor is introduced as Doctor-with-a-vagina Smith. Or Dr-vagina-haver Smith. Helps me differentiate from Dr Smith (the actual human ie a man).

Seriously though OP I don't quite understand? Do you mean things like "a female engineer" or "lady doctor"? We don't say "a lady banker" - or the same for bus drivers, bakers, florists, nurses, pilots etc. I can't think when it's relevant unless in the case a female medic is specifically requested.

Hopefully the OP will provide us with some explanatory context shortly.

Depends on context. If you must refer to my sex then I prefer to be called a woman, not a lady but really if I’m at work I prefer to be referred to by my job title. One of the consultants at work once tried to call us (sonographers) his ‘scanning ladies’, it did not go down well. Girls is even worse.

Ugh to female and lady. I am a woman

For the record I am also not a girl

Woman here too.
Equally offensive is people shortening your name to a nickname you never use. This has always blighted me.

Not female.

I am a woman.

Lady is a term I apply only to to those endlessly kind, gracious, naturally lovely people, who come along once in a blue moon and thoroughly deserve the title.

muriel I have a fondness for Martin goodman but that clip sums it all up doesn’t it? And thank god he’s fictional.
Thank you !

It's not a choice - female and woman are different words with different grammatical functions.

Female is an adjective. The woman is a noun. Use whichever is appropriate, if it's relevant.

Eg. You can request either a male or female doctor.
Eg. That woman on the phone was very helpful.

It pisses me off more than it should to see "woman officer" or similar. It's just incorrect.

"Producer of the non-mobile gametes"

Yes, noun woman, adjective female. Not a fan of lady.

I have a particular worry about the word ‘female’ and it’s very current. I spend my life cross examining police officers, mostly male. So many, when giving evidence and in statements will in the same sentence refer to ‘the man’ and ‘the female’ using female as a noun rather than an adjective. (No problem with ‘the female detainee’ or ‘the female suspect’ obvs). I never join in but use ‘woman’ and the palpable discomfort caused sometimes is really odd and to me really does signify a lack of ease with the word. It may of course just be mindless usage habit but I think there’s more to it.

That suggests the culture of the police service is one that doesn't 'see' women. We aren't human, to them.