QT: If women can be male, wtf is a woman then? What term, if any, should we use to describe the female sex?

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[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 5 fun3 insightful - 4 fun4 insightful - 5 fun -  (53 children)

Female humans.

Since some female humans aren’t women and some women aren’t female humans.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (52 children)

So then what’s the point of even having the words man, woman, girl, and boy? Everyone would just be male or female humans and trans women would still be separated from females because they are male- we wouldn’t even really need the term trans wo/man. I’m not trying to be nasty I just don’t get what the point would be? There’s no use for the word “woman” if we are referring to people by their sex and species for clarity.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (51 children)

It’s relevant and needed for treatment in our society. Society needs a way to address for instance mysogyny targeted at natal women and (some) trans women but not by (some) trans men.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (50 children)

So we need a word to group a random cluster of people of both sexes who may possibly be a victim of “misogyny” from a different random cluster of people of both sexes? Because females can be misogynistic as well.

You also said that transmen aren’t women, so you’re now kind of saying that we need a word to describe misogyny- which is hatred towards women (girls can experience misogyny as well), but you’re including people you consider men as victims of misogyny? But males can also be boxed in or somewhat victimized by the ideals held by misogynists, so we kind of still wouldn’t need a word to lump TW, women, girls, and TM together- because all of those types of people can be victims of misogyny (according to you)- but so can people who don’t fall into that category. And all of those people can be misogynistic themselves.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (49 children)

Mysogyny was just one example. The point is woman (or at least some. A theory including natal women and trans women plus some intersex people) is a necessary category based on how our society functions and is structured.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (36 children)

And you don’t think it’s necessary for adult female humans to be defined separately from any other type of human based on how society functions and is structured?

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (35 children)

Sure. There are some things where trans men and natal women should be grouped, but those areas are more narrow than how they need to be separated.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (34 children)

And I’d say there’s infinite reasons that female adult humans need to be separated from all males. The reasons to combine TW and women are more narrow that the reasons to keep us separated.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (33 children)

And I disagree. Aside from purely medical contexts a trans woman has more in common with a natal woman than a cis man. And you have more in common with trans women than with trans men.

[–]loveSloaneDebate King 11 insightful - 1 fun11 insightful - 0 fun12 insightful - 1 fun -  (32 children)

Women have nothing in common with transwomen aside from us all being human lol

[–]emptiedriver 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (11 children)

and WHY is it structured or does it function that way. What differences were there between groups that led to one set holding power over the other, who were at risk of being "barefoot and pregnant"...

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (10 children)

Cis men were physically stronger than natal women early in society and were able to over time erect structures to put men into positions of social power once more complex societies in evolved. Cis men hate women, that’s the reason for gendered society.

[–]emptiedriver 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (9 children)

it's not "cis men". It's males and females. Females have female reproductive systems that can get pregnant, males have male reproductive systems that produce semen and testosterone, become more muscular, can overpower women and in the most stripped down sense, can rape and impregnate them.

Women are more vulnerable due to being the ones who produce babies, so the reproductive differences are key to distinguishing the sexes. There is no meaning to "woman" that is not based on sex, that's the point.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (8 children)

It is cis men. Trans women aren’t physically stronger than women and are marginalized by society unlike cis men. Most also can’t impregnate women and aren’t any more capable of rape than a natal woman.

[–]emptiedriver 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

The point is that we have the categories man and woman because they are important. They are central to the structure and function of society that you referred to yourself. The possibility that there may be people who are exceptions does not change the reason that the reproductive categories are fundamental to our understanding of how our social power dynamics works. That is why we need to keep biological categories clear.

"cis men" are not some secondary category. Men and women are the basic biological divisions. Some men may have disorders, treatments, surgeries or other reasons that these things don't apply, but there is no definitive category that "trans" applies to that makes it clear how they fit into a reproductive scheme. It's just a word people use about themselves when they feel like it'