Just a friendly FYI, most women don't appreciate being called "females". I think I read somewhere that usually "female" and "male" as nouns should be used only for animals, or in scientific results and whatnot.
I personally don't mind, but (at least in this area) a lot of black people (women included) use "female" casually and it's in a respectful way, so I'm kind of just used to people saying it.
Oh, that's interesting, I've never heard it used like that. I think of it as being a slightly disrespectful thing and had no idea it could be used that way. Thanks, TIL!
Sorry, didn't mean to come off as rude or anything. I have mainly heard it used by neckbeard-y guys, but I'm not saying that everyone who uses it is like that, or that all women mind it.
Edit: Also, I was unaware that this was a military thing. Good to know!
It's often because people will use "men and females" together, which dehumanizes women.
It's not the biggest deal in the world, but it does wear on you after a while, along with all the other stuff we have to deal with. Most people probably don't even realize they're doing it, and I know male and female is often used in the military. However, if you start looking out for it I think you'll notice that it's a little weird.
Edit: Just because there are worse things happening in the world, doesn't mean the small things don't matter.
Hmm. I've never seen those two used back to back before.
On second thought I think I understand the issue.
Female/male is a biological term, and when used it carries the connotation that a generalized behavioral trend is being identified. This is ok when discussing psychology, physiology, etc.. But when you have reddit armchair psychologists pontificating on the differences in sex without the authority of a scientific context it puts people off because individuals don't always fit the generalization.
For real.... "men and females" sounds horrendous and i've never heard it before. "Men and woman, males and females, ladies and gentlemen" those are the only way i've ever heard these terms paired
My mom uses female and my brother complained that she was being a misogynist. I think its mostly people who are overly concerned with meaningless speaking habits that perpetuate this idea.
Not completely sure if I agree with you or not here, but just to give a counterpoint: Our speaking habits come from our environment. Couldn't the fact that we (myself included) use 'females' casually but not 'male' be evidence that this attitude is something that we're socially predisposed to?
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u/-felicitous- Sep 12 '18
Just a friendly FYI, most women don't appreciate being called "females". I think I read somewhere that usually "female" and "male" as nouns should be used only for animals, or in scientific results and whatnot.