Female is the MEDICAL TERM FOR FEMALE.

It's like getting offended over the word vagina, or penis. Or breast.

And woman is not all inclusive. It does not include female children. Mare:woman::Filly:girl. Not to mention that, if I understand correctly, it's a term far more open to conflict with "gender issues".

It just doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe it's because I'm a veterinary student and I spend all day calling things male/female/neutered/spayed/intact/whatever. I'm used to referring to things by their definitions. It's just making a mountain out of a molehill to me.

What I really do not understand is if the term female offends you so much..why does it make a difference whether it's used as a noun or an adjective? Why is okay to describe the gender of a group of individuals if they all have something else in common like profession or hobby? What if the only relevant commonality is their sex? I'm sorry, but I just don't see how Jens actually transgressed any rule besides "don't gross the tiny lines the PC police has drawn". He wasn't trying to be rude (English isn't even his first damned language) and he wasn't saying anything disparaging.

If you're going to make an issue out of the use of a term, at least have the sense to make sure it's a good example so that people don't just see you has being hypersensitive over nothing. Don't get me wrong, I understand that people use the term disparagingly (just like they use the term "male" disparagingly at times), but that can be done with almost any word. I can say "bananas coconuts and grapes" with a mocking voice and you'll know what I think of Tarzan of the Apes!!