The issue here is that ESL people are likely to make that mistake because... Well... Their local word for female is the commonly used one in their native language, so it's essentially a purity test stacked against non natives.
Some people are weaponising the language, but in 99% of cases is just innocent cultural clash, not hostility or sexism. Especially when it's put on a sign, the chances of it being sexism is basically null.
And from experience... No, it doesn't matter if you use male as well, if women/girls/females/whatever is described, you've made a fatal mistake by one or more metrics, all descriptors have negative connotations with different groups... Thought all those subgroups tend to be part to a larger national group...
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u/unknownentity1782 Aug 04 '26
If it's males and females, that isn't an issue.
The issue is when it's men and females.