Nn, one of my college professors went on a rant about this a couple of years ago. The usage of the term "females" is definitely subtly degrading, it's intended use is mainly to refer to animals, or in a very impersonal, robotically descriptive way (think a police officer's radio going off: "suspect, female, mid 20s, wear xyz etc...").

It's obviously not overtly sexist or anything, but I wouldn't be too impressed if I heard a boy my hypothetical daughter was seeing use that term to refer to women either. Obviously not as bad as "bitches", of course

How is it degrading? Men are called males too. Women literally ARE females and men are males. There are no ifs, ands or buts. That's science. If anything, calling someone a female or male, rather than man or woman is more proper and correct.

It's only degrading if you use it in a demeaning way, using it to strip someone of who they are (and defining them as just a gender).

Not necessarily. Sometimes it seems a bit petty though

lol no, it's okay.

Um... no?

If people get offended by it they need to put a band aid on and suck it up.

I always refer to customers as males or females, sirs or madams.

I can definitely see where it's mostly a slang term used mostly by black men and usually in a more objectifying light (the context that I think is considered offensive here is probably the way it's used in Lil Jon's Get Low) but I don't think it's absolutely degrading but definitely has a negative connotation.

For those of you don't believe this is a term used by mostly black men see: https://twitter.com/search?q=females&src=typd and several rap songs from the '90s to now. Not to say black men are more sexist than others, it's simply the the most common use of the term in this conversation.

its dehumanising

It's grammatically weird and it's not something I hear or see people say ever, but degrading is a bit of a reach...

My first thought: It sounds like when you are in an electronics store and looking for plugs and sockets. The one with the pins is male and the one with the holes is female.



If you translate it to another language and back, you get feminine:

• Female in Dutch is "vrouwelijk" (like a woman) => feminine
• Female in French is "feminine" => feminine

Because it's an adjective and not a noun.

Referring to a woman with "a female" is referring to "the hole", "the dickless" or the Freudian concept: Electra complex.
Reminding the girls that they were angry at mom snubbing them of the D.

It's sexist plus you barely ever see people refer to men as "males," though I think that most people who use the term "females" don't realize that they're being offensive.

I don't trust anyone who uses "females" in casual conversation. Those are usually the creeps.