sevenhelz

I know I've said at least part of this somewhere before, but it seems to need repeating.

An aside: There is no female equvalent to "guy". There is no female equivalent to "bloke". There is no male equivalent to "cow", or to "slut", or to various other slurs against women. It is worth considering why this might be, and rejecting the unspoken assumption - created by the language itself - that men as a group somehow behave better than woman as a group. All people are individuals, capable of both good and bad behaviour, and language is not an objective study of male or female behaviour trends.

Point 1: Women are not girls. Men are not boys.

Point 2: If, in a certain situation, you consistently refer to men as men, you should also consistently refer to women as women. Not girls.

Point 3: If you find yourself, in a certain situation, referring consistently to men and girls, you are probably male should probably consider your reasoning and adjust your actions accordingly.

Point 4: Some women may appreciate being made to feel young. This is because our society teaches women that their youth and sexuality are their only, or most, valuable traits. Hence these women believe their value is decreasing as they age. These women would not, I believe, be insulted by being accorded their full role as women.

Point 5: Young adult women often struggle to be taken seriously, especially in the world of work. As they already display the "valuable" trait of youth (and sexual desirability, according to our culture), young adult women are often not seeking to be made to feel young and sexually attractive. In fact, if young adult women are seeking to be taken seriously, they may find it demeaning to be designated as younger than they are. If you find yourself consistently referring to young women as girls, and young men in the same or a lower age bracket as men, you may want to consider your reasoning and adjust your actions accordingly.

That is all.