By Mona Austin
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee asked then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson if she could "provide a definition for the word woman” during the confirmation proocess. It is an important question for both political and practical purposes but one that is difiicult to answer for many people. The Huffington Post later asked Blackburn and other GOPers their defination of woman and she leaned on science stating a woman is someone who has two X chromosones. She was speaking to the biological classification of a sex, relying on science. But referring to chromosomes alone could make woman and female equivalent. They are not.
There is a social and semantical/grammatical distinction between the terms "woman" and "female." In communication it is necessary to differentiate between the two to avoid being offensive. One is a noun that can be used in adjective form, the otheris not. Understanding the differnece between the words woman and female will help you use them properly.
A few hypotheticals may illustrate the difference best. . .
What if the name of the month that we set aside to honor women was "Female History Month"? Or if the hook of Helen Reddy's 1971 hit were "I am female hear me roar"? What if the Small Business Association called their programs set aside for women Female-owned business loans? The Aretha Franklin classic "Natural Woman" might not sound the same if the lyrics were, "you make me feel like a natural female. . ."
The reason the term female sounds "off" in the examples I offer is because it istechnically incorrect.
By definition the word female can refer to various species of plants and animals as well as humans. Woman can only refer to one species -- human beings. In the above examples, only women can make history, hit songs and run businesses. Plants and other members of the animal kingdom can not. "I Am Woman Hear Me Roar," the songs goes -- not, "I am female. . .".
Do you perceive the difference yet?
Note that it is not always inaccurate to use the term female in reference to a group of women. The word female is both an adjective and a noun and can be used as a descriptor. For example, in award shows a category may correctly be named "Best Female Artist." In this case the word is describing the type of artist. Moreover, scientifically, men sometimes have two X chromosones and women two Y's. This complexity does not physically change their sex.
Because I am a writer, perhaps conveyance, context, connotation or denotation in the use of language matters to me more than the average person. But most of us are not writers and habitually say "female" in times when "woman" would not only be more appropriate, but more linguistically correct. I hear this mistake being made in conversations all of the time. This is a hard habit to break but some effort to change must be made because it is indeed wrong to call someone in a manner they see as an insult. The interchanging of the terms can be derogatory both intentionally and unintentionally. Whenever "female" is mentioned in a rap song it usually sonds negative or when a woman refers to herself as a female it does not tend to be in a postive light.
It may matter more in a professional setting than in interpersonal interaction. In the workplace one can be reprimanded for calling people uncomfortable names. Using the term girl or boy for adults is demeaning in the workplance but is culturally accepted among people who are familiar with each other. In African American culture both sexes casually use the words girl or boy in reference to firendship. It is socially acceptable between friends but may be offensive coming from a stranger.
For the sake of true empowerment, women should and must distinguish themselves from the plant and animal kingdoms -- and from men/males. Saying "woman" expresses humanity. The word woman describes someone who has mentally and physically matured past girlhood. On a physical level a female is born with internal sex organs or genetalia and has a menstrual cycle naturally. She, a female, is capable of giving birth through sexual reproduction with a male. Social, psychological, spiritual and mental distinguish her from a man.
My qualm is not at the level of the movement to "bury the N-word" but it is a protest and we need to give the term "female" a rest. I have seen other journalists and women in leadership misuse the term. When I saw the terms female and empowerment side-by-side on a flyer for an event it prompted me to write this post. Hopefully, it won't take a revolution to get consensus about respecting who we really are.
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