The rest of this thread is behind a CW.

Back in the 1800's a surgeon in the US was doing some unethical research that would go on to form the basis of the medical discipline of gynaecology. To do this, he experimented on white women, and black slave women. When publishing his findings, he didn't want to humanise the black women he was using as test subjects. So he described them as "females". This is the origin of the usage.

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So everytime someone uses "females" as a noun, they are reinforcing the dehumanisation of women that is built on unethical experiments on black women.

This is international women's day. I'm not going to name the evil bastard in question. We should learn from his mistakes. Not hold him in any regard. Even if a item of medical equipment most women become intimately familiar with us named after him. Some even calm him "the father of gynaecology".

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So everytime you hear someone use female as a noun. Call it out. Tell people of the history that is being reinforced here.

So what language do we use instead? That's in the next toot without a CW.
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So what do we use instead? Well as I've screamed at many a TV, Radio, and in some cases conference presenters.

Woman. The word you're looking for is woman!

If the person in question is an adult, then say woman or women. "We need more women in leadership". If it's female children? The word is girl. "Girls should go to school". But what if it's both adults and children. Then the words your looking for is "women and girls" i.e. "Women and girls deserve equality"

It's that simple.

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So on this international women's day, do your bit to make our language just a little bit less hostile to women and girls. Consign the use of female as a noun to the history books were it belongs. Even if you were fine ignoring the frankly horrific history, you sound like a flipping Ferenghi...

Oh, and while you're at it guys is not gender neutral, but that's a different thread.

Happy international women's day!
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