- Proposal
I propose adding the following to Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style#Vocabulary:
===Sex and gender===
Though often interchanged in casual communication, sex and gender refer to different concepts. To avoid confusion and conflict over terminology, specific vocabulary is prescribed by many professional organizations.When writing about biological sex, use the terms female and male. This would most likely apply to articles about human anatomy, physiology, and genetics. When writing about gender, use woman and man when referring to gender identities and feminine and masculine when referring to gendered qualities. This would most likely apply to articles about social phenomena, culture, history, and biographies.
For example, information about differences in disease prevalence between sexes in humans should use female and male:
- Incorrect - Approximately four times more women suffer from osteoporosis than men.
- Correct - Approximately four times more females suffer from osteoporosis than males.
Information about gendered social differences, however, should use the terms woman and man:
- Incorrect - Researchers have found that females tend to use social network services more than males.
- Correct - Researchers have found that women tend to use social network services more than men.
When explaining the gendered quality of something, use feminine and masculine:
- Correct - There was no agreement among manufacturers about which colors were feminine or masculine, or whether there were any such colors at all.
- Correct - Grace Jones' distinctive androgynous appearance incorporated both feminine and masculine fashion elements.
- Impetus
The topic of sex and gender has been contentious for years. Most recently, discussions on [AE] and WT:NOT have highlighted this is an active area of dispute. Discussion at Talk:Sex_differences_in_medicine (1, 2) suggest there is support for this nomenclature by editors with varying views on the topic.
- Rationale
This nomenclature is used by many professional, academic, and NGO groups such as WHO Europe Branch, UK Office of National Statistics, . This standard is also endorsed by AMA Journal of Ethics