woman

> lady and woman
lady and woman cause controversy. Lady is objected to by many people when it is used instead of woman. Formerly, and still in some circles, it was regarded as a polite form of woman, as in ""Please get up and give that lady a seat", said the mother to her son". Indeed, woman was thought to be rather insulting. For many people woman is now the preferred term and lady is seen as classist, because it is associated with nobility, privilege, etc, or condescending. However, lady is still quite commonly used, particularly when women are being addressed in a group, as in ""Ladies, I hope we can reach our sales target", said the manager" and "Come along, ladies the bus is about to leave". Phrases, such as dinner lady and cleaning lady are thought by some to be condescending but others still find woman rather insulting.