"woman" as opposed to "female"...???

[finn's mom]

How about...
As long as you can have children you're a woman. Soon as something happens and you can't... you're merely female.

Personal experience speaking. There really is a big difference.

Really? I think it depends on the woman's own feelings on the subject. I have a couple of girlfriends who can't have children and they feel no less like a woman than before discovering that unfortunate news. Upon first reading your comment, I thought "wow, that's rude", but I read it a couple more times and realize now what it might mean. I am truly sorry that you feel that way.


My take...I don't care either way. Any word can be offensive or derogatory if used in such a fashion. Depends on the context and the intent. I have a few friends who are offended by "female" and I just never picked up on that being an offensive term. I never thought of it as only being used as an adjective, though.