What is a woman, by modern standards and definitions?

[mamakoukla]

Outright - I’m a sex not gender woman. But I’ve reached the point of so what exactly is a woman, as defined by inclusivity to gender based identification? If woman is gender-based, what is a woman by that definition?

Err I was being tongue in cheek, but whatever.

Because it comes from a luxury position that most women in the world do not enjoy. People, the world over, and in every human society, understand what a woman is. It isn't a theoretical talking point. You are either male or female, and when you have matured as a female you are a woman. A woman is obviously an adult human female - whatever your native language.

The expectations on women may vary somewhat from culture to culture ( gender roles) but a woman is the female of the species.

What's the difference between a lion and a lioness? We should get Dave Attenborough to answer this question once and for all.

These aren't my words, I just lifted them from the WHO website. Hence the quote marks. It doesn't explicitly explain what a woman is but the extrapolation is simple. A woman is someone who is biologically female.

I can't help you with your personal likes and dislikes. If gender roles aren't a social construct what are they?

I'm not sure that the WHO would have intended that meaning but anyway.

For example, I don't think breast feeding is merely a "social construct", but tied up with biology.

I don't think higher male aggression is purely a "social construct", but tied up with biology.

Painting a boy's room blue rather than pink may be a social convention, but there may be real differences in what activities that likely enjoy compared to girls, that aren't forced on them by social convention.

It's neither complicated or needs any re defining.

You are born either male of female and develop into a man or a woman.

You can't change sex of biological facts you are 💯 female or 💯 male.

anyone can live their lives how they choose and dress/act how they choose but don't expect everyone else to accept your preferences

Equally there are only 2 genders.

At present most institutions seem to accept a woman is anyone who says they feel they are one in that particular moment

Thank you for answering back. But, do we? I’m asking this question as I thought that I knew what a woman was, being born as one. Now one may declare themselves a woman and I’m trying to understand what that definition of woman is and how I fit into what society now refers to as woman. Am I even a woman any more? You’re right that it isn’t a theoretical talking point - it is some thing we live everyday. Asking this question isn’t a luxury: it’s an imperative.

2 sexes.

Adult human female for me. That's it.

Notatmine · Today 07:33

Or ‘ it’s complicated’. After which follows no definition, because it’s so complicated.

It's so complicated and difficult that only they can understand, but even they can't explain it to twitching morons like us.

That the word woman has become a contested word is part of the problem.
If you don't subscribe to gender ideology it is not a contested concept and therefore doesn't require re-thinking. It is not an imperative.

Those that do subscribe to gender ideology can never give a meaningful definition - other than it means what someone feels. It is imperative upon them to come up with some coherent meaning.

A woman is just a set of gender stereotypes in today's lingusitic currency. if you don't align with all of the streoptypes, only with some, then you are 'non-binary'. Whatever - you are still female whatever you call yourself.

And people are awful for even asking the question because either:
a) the answer is bleeding obvious or
b) the answer is subtle and nuanced and subjective and awful terfy people are only asking it to try and wangle some kind of gotcha because the asker believes a) and the people they are asking believe b) which is cruel and oppressive (and everyone knows that)

When legal rights and obligations depend on agreed definitions this becomes a battleground - who plays which sport, who goes to which prison, etc etc.

In which parallel universe is breast feeding a gender role? It is biological. It is female and it is something that men can't do. I don't know what causes male aggression but there is no gender role labelled "go round punching people".

@NotHavingIt if I don’t subscribe to gender ideology but the law tells me otherwise, that it’s a hate crime to deny a person their right to gender-based ideology and identity; how can I accept something I cannot understand/define?

This is the basis of my mental struggle. I do my best to accept each person in their own right but I’m conflicted with what society defines a woman as, especially as there appears to be none outside of (a) sex, or (b) diffuse it’s a feeling, whatever that is - it isn’t defined. How can I understand or accept this new gender based definition if nobody can tell me coherently what this is?

I’m possibly rambling and apologize but I’m also incredibly grateful to have somewhere to be able to communicate this

From Wikipedia:

A gender role, also known as a sex role,[1] is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex.

Breast feeding is a behaviour expected or considered desirable for women. It's a gender role. Of course it's also biological.

There isn't a gender role of "go round punching people" exactly, but we might expect aggression from males in certain circumstances and consider it desirable for their gender. So it's good that males stand up for themselves. We might also expect aggression from males and consider it "typical behaviour" but "bad behaviour".

It's not a hate crime to say you don't believe humans can change sex.

That belief is free speech and protected by law.

@thebaneofmylifeisacat are you a cat owner lol? Okay; sex is immutable. But, if society is defining woman as a gender - what is a woman?

I do have a cat for my sins.

Look I hear all the recent agonising which seems to have arisen in the last few years out of bloody nowhere but I think all this gender/sex talk is merely clouding a very simple fact.

There's 2 genders (2 sexes) male and female and you are born one or the other and you can lop bits off yourself or add bits onto yourself makes no difference to the facts.

A woman is an adult human female and a man is an adult human male
You are an Arthur or a Martha.

All this creeping around the bleeding obvious drives me crackers.

@thebaneofmylifeisacat please give the cat a hug from me (currently not owned by a cat)

I feel as though I’ve entered some Kafkaesque universe

You are misrepresenting the law. The law does not say you have to accept gender ideology or go along with its diktats.

You cannot begin understand that which is incoherent, and you don't have to accept anyone else's definition of you either, or contort yourself fit into their belief system. Religious belief is protected, but that doesn't mean you can force it onto others.

I know a politician (he’ll remain nameless) who said “ show me a politician that says it’s too difficult to explain [it] to the general public, and I’ll show you a politician who just doesn’t understand”
I think we can broaden that from politicians to anyone espousing GI who can’t/won’t explain what they mean

Breast feeding is not a role, gender or otherwise. It is a biological process in the same way as gestation is a biological process. Standing up for oneself isn't aggression but the reverse. It isn't a gender role or even part of a gender role. It's what we are both doing in this conversation.