Is female derogatory? I thought it was just a more scientific classification.
Edit: I work at a large engineering and manufacturing company where some of our products need to take into consideration the difference between male and female anatomy. I just hear “male” and “female” systems discussed on a weekly basis so I think I might sometimes refer to men and women as “male” and “female” outside of work without giving it a second thought.
I thought it was just a more scientific classification.
Scientifc classification by sex. Referring to others by their biological sex in a social context is weird and creepy. Even if you believe sex and gender are the same thing, it’s still weird to call people by their sex. “Hello, male human. Want to ingest some fried pieces of cow flesh tonight?”
If you are calling a woman “a female”, and aren’t a cop discussing a victim or a doctor writing a chart, then yes, it’s fucking derogatory.
We’re not Ferengi.
I thought it was just a more scientific classification.
It’s a classification of sex like biological characteristics, like chromosomes, hormones, and reproductive organs. Are you asking about that?
Gender is a social construct. Just like race. Where you can be a Black person who is British. Or a Filipino American.
Using female as a noun (rather than as an adjective, such as in the phrase “female firefighter”, or any phrase of the format “female $noun”) is generally overly clinical and dehumanizing. Some people do it out of habit due to their profession-- usually researchers or soldiers-- but they usually say “males and females”, which while still weird isn’t the worst.
The guys who say “men and females” are the ones you need to watch out for.
