"Female humans"
Is there a better age-inclusive word than "women"? I think it's impolite in contexts in which a good number of discussed female humans are of an age where "girl" is appropriate, such as when discussing female college students. Dual enrollment programs allow students of high-school to take college courses, making for a very diverse age range. As our culture admires youthful qualities, I think many older women appreciate being referred to as "girls" at least by other women, so "girl" is not necessarily condescending to adult women. I therefore use "girl" as a general "female human" term to be respectful to both young and old female humans, but I try to also say "boy" for the male equivalent. Is there anything better out there? --Dragonclaws(talk) 07:32, September 28, 2011 (UTC)
- "girls and women"? "women and girls"? There's also "folks" and similar if there's no reason to talk about gender. (What are you calling genderqueer people? "Children"?) But the assertion that many women don't like being called girls is true. Many women don't like being called girls. It has a history of being used to belittle and patronise women, and you cannot erase that history by fiat, or by requiring that everyone observe that in your case you are scrupulously fair so it's OK when you do it. Thayvian 06:47, September 29, 2011 (UTC)
- I should also note that "our culture admires youthful qualities" is true, but something that many people writing here would like to critique, deconstruct and change. Therefore stating it as a principle to work from when deciding how to refer to women is not very effective, at least in this venue. (To compare: "our culture admires male qualities. I therefore call women 'chaps' and 'blokes'.") Thayvian 06:59, September 29, 2011 (UTC)
Good points. Thanks. --Dragonclaws(talk) 05:49, October 6, 2011 (UTC)