With the gender gap and the obvious disparities between men and women in the fields of wages, education, and job opportunities getting media attention, it seems petty to dwell on something as simple as vocabulary. However, we have to recognize that language is often drenched in inherent misogyny too—wait! I know that's a scary word. Misogyny, patriarchy—those words always seem to preface the bitter ramblings of some feminist diatribe. However, becoming aware of how language represents you and makes other people feel is just the first step to a more harmonious and respectful interactions. Therefore, calling women females has got to stop, and here's why:
1. "Female" and "woman" do not mean the same thing.
According to Merriam-Webster, a female, when used as an adjective, is "of or denoting the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs, distinguished biologically by the production of gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes." And when used as a noun, it means "a female person, animal, or plant."
Interesting that there is no distinction between those three organisms. When referring to a female, you could literally be talking about a plant.
"Oh man, I just got talking to a fine little female."
Female what? Mountain goat? Cactus flower? Female is not exclusive to the human species. The word you're looking for is "woman."
2. When are men ever casually referred to as males?
Easy. They're not.
3. It's almost always used in a derogatory way.
Female, when referring to women, in its typical context can often be substituted by the "b word." That is how it sounds--that's why women cringe when men spew the word so hatefully.
"That is one rowdy group of females."
Read: "That is one rowdy group of b-----s"
When does anyone ever use female in a good way?
"Oh wow, that is one beautiful female."
What's wrong with this sentence? It starts with "that." That, which connotes an object, a thing. This person called the woman beautiful, but in an objectifying, and therefore unflattering, way.
You wouldn't say:
"I want to marry that female." It sounds all wrong! You'd say "I want to marry that woman." Why? There is a certain level of respect and humanity when referring to someone as a woman which is not present when referring to a woman as a female.
4. It's a HUGE red flag for a lot of women.
This point is best illustrated by Demetria Lucas D'Oyley of The Root:
"I had to explain that when certain women hear a guy say "female" (and its even crasser euphemism, "b--ch"), it's akin to a black person hearing a nonblack person drop an n-bomb. There would be a whole lot of automatic assumptions made about what that nonblack person thinks about black people. Most would automatically call that person racist through and through, and yet guys don't want to accept that the language some use to refer to women has the same effect on women. "
5. You sound completely misogynistic (and therefore stupid)
Look no further than the comment thread on a similar article discussing the inherent misogyny behind using female instead of woman:
In short, if you're about to call a woman a female, don't.
