After this “fun” little catastrophe of a thread concerning the use of the word “female”, looking at the comment section, it’s painfully obvious that the majority of Lemmy’s userbase are men. That’s not a generalization, that’s a literal fact.

“It’s just a word!”, “Maybe English isn’t their first language!”, and “Overact much?” seem to be the most common replies.

So let’s do what should have been done in the first place and ask women their opinion:

What do you think of the word “female” being used? Especially in the context of the linked post in question? When is the use of the word appropriate vs. not appropriate?

EDIT: I think the post linked got taken down. Good.

  • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    “Female” is appropriate as an adjective: I need a female hose adaptor or My primary care doctor is female or Female cats don’t spray the way male cats do. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any case in which “female” should be used as a noun - except I guess it’s common in healthcare and law enforcement (though still grammatically incorrect).

    Absolutely! These examples are absolutely unoffensive in their context. I take no issue with that.

    It’s when people defend its usage as a noun where I take issue, and when others use “It’s just a word!” to dismiss concerns about it. Yes, it’s just word! It’s the context that matters!

    “Girl” is a entirely different matter, but I guess it comes down to individual preference of the person being referred to. However, I personally don’t love it, and view it as a very outdated word to use with grown adult women. There’s a lot of nuance behind it, definitely.