Referring to girls and women as "females" rather than well, "girls or women”

Seems a bit dehumanizing. Girls and women are human beings, but not all "females" are.

Just a thought.

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First I've heard of the word "females" being dehumanizing... so, what is the age cutoff for saying "girls"? I know I've been called on calling a 19 year old a girl.

Do you know that Webster's lists "woman" as a synonym for female and "female" as a synonym for woman.

bijouxbroussard · F

@Ontheroad Yep, I know.

Characteristic of or appropriate to this sex in humans and other animals.

ninalanyon · 61-69, T

@Ontheroad

the age cutoff for saying "girls"

That's context dependent. Women of all ages in Norway frequently refer to each other as jenter which the dictionary (Bokmålsordboka) says refers to female children, unmarried women, female servants or workers.

British women do the same.

A man should probably not address the same group of women as girls but as ladies unless he is very close to them.

In some formal contexts perhaps females makes sense.

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