What is the definition of a woman?

R

Rose65

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So Rishi Sunak made some comment and it has raised merry hell from Keir Starmer.
There is barely a day goes by now without someone being offended.

I do wonder what IS the definition of a woman and indeed of a man?
It's gotten so mixed up these days.

I know I am one physically and I've never had the slightest doubt mentally.
 
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Definition of a woman? A person without an Y chromosome.
XY sex-determination system - Wikipedia
If I had written with two X chromosomes, then for example people with Ullrich-Turner syndrome (X0) wouldn't be women. But they are. Persons with the XXY kariotype (Klinefelter syndrome) have the Y chromosome, they are men despite possible female characteristics as breast development.
 
Rose65 said:
So Rishi Sunak made some comment and it has raised merry hell from Keir Starmer.
There is barely a day goes by now without someone being offended.

I do wonder what IS the definition of a woman and indeed of a man?
It's gotten so mixed up these days.

I know I am one physically and I've never had the slightest doubt mentally.
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You mean this one?
 
Pepper said:
Thank you @George1959 but now I'm more confused than ever! Don't understand the context.
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Rishi Sunak was laughing at Keir Starmer's previous definition of a woman. Keir Starmer was previously reported as saying that 99.9% of women do not have a *****. He appeared to do a u-turn later when he said a woman is an adult female.

Oh! the p word is not allowed but, I am sure you can guess (it's not an offensive word!) ;)
 
In February 2023 the British transgender girl Brianna Ghey was murdered. Her mother was a guest at the House of Commons yesterday (February the 7th) to observe the debate on "Mindfulness in Schools" regarding transgender children while Sunak said that Starmer even couldn't define what a woman is and made a U-turn as in many others of his major policies.
 
A woman is “an adult female”, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as he confirms the Labour Party's hardened stance on gender. The Labour leader said he did not believe the policy of self-identification was “the right way forward”, and that he believed that “the principle of safe spaces is very important for women”.Jul 26, 2023
A woman is an adult female, Sir Keir Starmer says
The Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk › politics › 2023/07
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/26/keir-starmer-woman-is-adult-female-labour-hardens-stance/#:~:text=A woman is “an adult,is very important for women”.

What's their "hardened stance?"
 
Warrigal said:
I dunno about that. Linguistically I was taught that when the word man was used, it could include women, as in "Man shall not live by bread alone", it meant men and women, or people, or taking it further, humanity.

The word male never referred to females.
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At least the word 'mankind' includes women too. I've never heard of womankind. 🤣
 
George1959 said:
At least the word 'mankind' includes women too. I've never heard of womankind. 🤣
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Being a man you probably weren't paying attention. Being a woman I have seen and heard this word used for women as a group

Some examples where the word is used to refer to women, as distinguished from men; i.e. the female gender.

HOW TO USE WOMANKIND IN A SENTENCE​

  • He was fully aware that since his earlier manhood a change had come over his regard of womankind.
    THE WELL-BELOVED | THOMAS HARDY
 
Well, my last English course at school was in 1980. Until this time I've never heard of this word. And I like the Victorians who used the address (for example) Mrs. Thomas Xy for a woman. Unfortunately this is no longer in use.
 
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