Stop Pretending “Woman” is Synonymous with “Female”
By: Brooklyn Reece
Tags: LGBTQ, Culture, Gender, Life, Self

Photo by Juan Marin on Unsplash

For most of my life, I have often heard women be described as “females.”

People think that this language is formal. When I was in grade school, my teachers and classmates would sometimes use the word “female” to describe a woman in more technical terms. Generally, it’s viewed as a more sophisticated word; one more scientific than colloquial.

But this has always bothered me.

For a long time, I couldn’t put my finger on why. Was it because it made us women sound like robots? Like just another species to be gendered? Was it because the word “female” was linked to most parts of reproductive science? Was it because the word “female” felt too weak to describe the strength that the word “woman” conveyed? Was it because I felt like it was too boring?

The truth is, although those things do tend to bother me, the word “female” is problematic for a different reason: the word exists only to express a binary distinction between two types of people. And in doing this, it’s invalidating and disrespectful to people who are not part of the binary.

The word “female” is there to describe someone. When I was younger, I thought female was just another word for woman. But the truth is, it’s so much more than that. It is proof of a culture rooted in exclusivity and the idea that sex is always equal to gender. And the truth is, there are people in the world who fit that mold. There are plenty of women out there with vaginas and uteruses who express themselves as women and identify as women. But there’s also another truth: there are plenty of women out there who don’t. And there’s plenty of people who have vaginas and uteruses and don’t feel comfortable identifying as a woman.

Gender isn’t a Venn diagram with two mutually-exclusive circles; it’s a spectrum, an umbrella. It is not about parts. It’s about what’s inside. It’s about expression, comfort; it’s about being who you are regardless of the organs inside of you. And by using the technical word “female” when we actually mean “woman,” we’re discounting the people in the world who don’t fall into mutually-exclusive circles. We’re creating a world where these people do not have a place to be themselves and be celebrated for that.

Sex and gender are two different things, as many of us are aware. And by putting them into the same category, we’re excluding a lot of people who find themselves struggling to fit that suffocating box. There is no legitimate reason for us to lump them into the same category, even; because what is the benefit of equating gender with sex? If we did, it would complicate healthcare (as it already does). It would invalidate the many transgender and non-binary people who deserve the same space to be themselves as cisgender people do. It would create unnecessary pain and unrest. There is no benefit to this.

And on top of that, this trend doesn’t seem to be as popular with men — I rarely see them being called “male” as a substitute for the word “man.” So it’s a sexism issue, too: the word “man” is so popular and so standard, with a connotation of strength and power, that no one seems to want to reduce a man to a male. The legitimacy of the word “man” is rarely questioned; there is seldom a reason to substitute it. So why can we not accept that the word “woman” is empowering, too?

Transgender women are women. People who are non-binary but choose to use she/her pronouns (whether in addition to or in the absence of they/them pronouns) and identify with the term “woman” are women, too. People who are gender-fluid and feel comfortable and empowered by the term “woman,” no matter when or how often, are women, too. And for those who are not comfortable with the word “woman” but who have a vagina, we need to respect their pronouns, too. We can’t just label them as “women” because of our assumptions. Their parts may be traditionally female (notice the word “traditionally,” as sex is now arguably irrelevant except in situations of health), but that does not at all mean that they identify as such. Even people who choose to express themselves in a way that some people might describe as being “female” — those people might not prefer that label. They might not even prefer “woman.” Maybe they prefer “femme.” Maybe they prefer their pronouns and no such descriptions at all. Maybe they feel that their gender expression is not important to who they are on the inside. That’s where this gets so problematic.

If we are going to grow as a society, we need to learn to be inclusive to everyone — and that means every single person that falls under the umbrella of gender. Regardless of expression, identity, or pronouns, a female isn’t always a woman and vice versa. And additionally, we need to learn that “female” is a weak and outdated term. The word “woman” is much more empowering — and so is “person,” for that matter, because woman isn’t the label for everyone. Why don’t we hold cisgender men to this same standard? Why don’t we question them? Why don’t we use the supposed synonym of “male” to describe them?

The answer lies within misogyny. We rarely question their worth or their strength. We rarely find it acceptable as a society to trivialize someone else’s version of masculinity or their identity as a man. So why should women, non-binary people, gender-nonconforming people, and anyone else settle for less? It’s less than anyone deserves.

This problem is rooted in more than just the stark but vital difference between “female” and “woman.” It is so much more than etymology. It’s in misogyny and transphobia. It’s in the societal implications of this dilemma. It’s in the rights of people who are so often overlooked, when they have as much to offer the world as anyone else despite not fitting into the rigid binary box. It’s in the difference in connotation between “man” and “woman.” It’s in the idea that we even need words beside “person” to describe someone who doesn’t prefer having a gender label. It’s so much more than a word. It’s the injustice behind it.

When a gender identity or a pronoun or a gender expression makes someone feel set free, they have every right to choose to embrace that. But that’s just it: it should be 100% their choice. It shouldn’t be up to the judgment of bystanders. It shouldn’t be based on someone else’s unfair or limited expectations. It’s not that any of this terminology is inherently bad; it’s that there are too many voices that are left unheard.

We are all human. And we must listen to the voices of our fellow humans. Everyone deserves to have an existence that allows them to feel empowered and excited about who they are. And it’s not our job to rob each other of that.

So, of course, to some of us, maybe it’s “just a word.”

But to someone else, it is so much more.