Is it REALLY Sexist to Refer to Women as “Female?” by @wendygarfinkle

 

Um…Not All Females Are Women

Recently, my lovely friend Rachel Thompson received a comment on her Twitter in reply to an article she shared: Can Anyone Name 5 Female Directors Besides Ava DuVernay? The commenter stated that he’s a Christian (not sure what THAT has to do with the subject…), and insisted that “female director” is wrong; it should be “woman director,” because using “female” instead of “woman” is “offensive and too feminist.”

From a grammatical standpoint (and I AM a Grammar Goddess; even own the website…don’t look for it, it’s not live yet…), female director is perfectly fine. Better, in fact, than “woman” in this instance because “female” is an adjective describing a category of director. Don’t know who he thinks it’s offending, and it’s not “too feminist.” The term “woman” would be kind of sexist from a man, because its literal definition is not only distinguishing her sex (adult FEMALE human being), it also categorizes her as a FEMALE (as opposed to, you know, a male…). And “female” is an inclusive term – any female, any age. “Woman” is an exclusive term because not all females are women.

It’s instinct for me to use “female” instead of “woman” in many circumstances, since I work in Law Enforcement. For instance, I’m referred to as “white female,” not “white woman.” (A man would be treated the same way: as a “white male” instead of “white man.”)  And “female” just flows off the tongue a whole lot smoother than “woman” when used as an adjective.

If you’re addressing someone directly (a noun), you should probably say “woman” instead of “female.” (Of course, you might get slapped for calling her a generic, sexually divisive term instead of her name.) I decided to research the use of “female” vs “woman” and discovered that it’s quite a popular subject. I was surprised (perhaps I shouldn’t have been) to discover an overwhelming number of articles addressing this topic – woman vs female.

Women vs. Female Definitions

Here’s what Merriam-Webster, the Oxford English Dictionary (for variety) and Roget’s Thesaurus have to say about female vs woman:

Merriam-Webster, female:

• of or relating to the sex that can produce young or lay eggs;
• characteristic of girls or women;
• having members who are all girls or women

Merriam-Webster, woman:

• an adult female human being;
• a woman who has a specific job or position;
• distinctly feminine nature;
• women considered as a group

Oxford English Dictionary, female:

• a person of the sex that can bear offspring;
• a woman or a girl;
• an individual of this sex (contrasted with male);
• a female animal (including the human being considered as an animal species);
• female individuals or the female sex considered generally or collectively.

Oxford English Dictionary, woman:

• referring to an adult female human being;
• the counterpart of man;
• the female members of a family, household, or other group, etc., womenfolk;
• with specific reference to age: a female person who has reached adulthood, esp. in legal contexts;
• a female person who is considered mature

Roget’s Thesaurus, female (adj., having the qualities or characteristics of a woman):

• feminine, fecund, womanish, womanly, effeminate, muliebrous (I found a new favorite word)

Roget’s Thesaurus, woman (n., female human):

• daughter, girl, mother, she, aunt, grandmother, matron, spouse

As I was finishing up on this post, Rachel (because she knew I was addressing this topic in a post) forwarded to me the link for this story:  Why We Need to Reclaim the Word “Female” . While reading it, I began hearing strains of The Twilight Zone theme, because it seemed as if author Jay Newton-Small had been peering over my shoulder. We make some of the same points regarding the grammatically correct usage of woman/women and female, and reference some of the same sources (Oxford English Dictionary). Something I discovered in my research, that Ms. Newton-Small also addresses: it appears that “the innate misogyny of slang” is at least partially to blame for the vilification of “female” as an acceptably descriptive term.

One of my favorite authors, J.R. Ward, in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, refers to women as “female” and men as “male.” This could be because most of her characters are vampires, or it could be a conscious effort to bring “female” and “male” back into the accepted lexicon of terminology.

So, Is it Sexist To Refer to Women as Female?

Then there’s using the word girl instead of woman… Gone Girl, 2 Broke Girls, New Girl, Girls, Supergirl (we have Superman…why not Superwoman?)… girl next door, girlfriend … I could go on ad nauseam, but I think you get the picture.

My conclusion? There are way too many sensitive people out there who don’t have enough to do. As for me, I’ll continue to use female as an adjective instead of woman when describing a noun (female director, female firefighter, etc.). Call it my stubborn personality, call it my instinctive, knee-jerk dislike of anything that remotely resembles “political correctness.”

I’m a female…a female grammarian, a female writer, a female editor, a female friend…many things female…and take no issue with being addressed as “female” instead of woman. I guess I’m just an insensitive feminist woman. And proud of it.

 

If you happen to be interested in the multitude of articles I read while researching this topic, here’s a list:

• 6 Reasons You Should Stop Referring to Women as “Females” Right Now 
• Grammar Girl: Woman Versus Female. Which is the Proper Adjective?
• On Language: Woman vs. Female
• “Female” or “Woman”?
• Woman Doctors, Woman Writers…Is Using ‘Woman’ as an Adjective Demeaning?
• Why there are too many women doctors, women MPs, and women bosses
• Who You Calling a Female?
• Female Troubles: “Female” vs. “Woman”
• Why It’s Not Sexist To Call Women “Girls”
• Should We Stop Saying ‘Female Filmmaker’?
• Why do some people consider it offensive to address a woman as ‘female’?

 

 

Wendy is a writer who holds degrees from three different universities, including MA and MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. Her debut novel, SERPENT ON A CROSS, which was published October 30, 2012, by Northampton House Press as an ebook, was re-released digitally and in print – with new content -by Booktrope, in August 2014.

She’s authored numerous poems, and is currently juggling several Shiny Things (AKA, Works in Progress). She has served as a copy editor and panel reader for Hippocampus Magazine, and a reader for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship. She works as a Editor and Proofreader for her publisher, Booktrope, and its Gravity Imprint, as well as freelance editing.

In her day job, Wendy is a crime analyst for a county sheriff’s office. Her hobbies include writing, reading, and traveling. She lives in South Florida with her teenage son.

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Purchase Broken Pieces and Broken Places on Amazon now! Learn more about all of Rachel’s books here. Learn about the authors of the Gravity Imprint (books about trauma and recovery, fiction or nonfiction) and purchase Gravity Imprint books here.

Connect with Rachel for social media services on BadRedheadMedia.com.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Unsplash and Wendy Garfinkle