3 ms·
Unless they're used in a discussion specifically about human biology, "male" and "female" can be assumed to refer to gender. The terminology isn't neatly separa
by a_shovel 4y ago
Unless they're used in a discussion specifically about human biology, "male" and "female" can be assumed to refer to gender. The terminology isn't neatly separated, unfortunately.
- kbelder 4y agoAre you sure? My impression from common usage is the opposite. It's normally referring to biology, except under certain circumstances.
- a_shovel 4y agoIt depends on context. A discussion about "female singers" would probably be referring to gender. It's useful to have an adjective equivalent of "man" and "woman", so people use "male" and "female" to mean that. My main point isn't to establish one meaning as more common, but to point out that there's not one "correct" meaning. Terminology around sex and gender are not neatly divided and it's not always easily determined what meaning people are using.