Woman
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Bobisbob
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you did not explain why this picture should be here. If it covered, it doesn't display the seconday characteristics
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[[Image:Pantaleon Szyndler-Ewa edit.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Painting of [[Eve (Bible)|Eve]]]]
A '''woman''' is an adult [[Female#Mammalian female|female human being]]. <!--The word adult is not needed in this sentence; see the following sentence.--> The term ''woman'' (irregular plural: ''women'') usually is used for an adult, with the term [[girl]] being the usual term for a female child or adolescent. However, the term ''woman'' is also sometimes used to identify a female human, regardless of age, as in phrases such as "[[Women's rights]]".
== Etymology ==
[[Image:Symbol venus.svg|thumb|100px|left|Symbol of the planet/Roman goddess [[Venus (disambiguation)|Venus]], also used to indicate the female gender among animals which reproduce sexually]]
The [[English language|English]] term "[[Man (word)|Man]]" (from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''[[mannaz]]'' "man, person") and words derived therefrom can designate any or even all of the human race regardless of their gender or age. This is indeed the oldest usage of "Man" in English. It derives from Proto-Indo-European *mánu- 'man, human', cognate to [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] manu, [[Old Church Slavonic language|Old Church Slavonic]] mǫžĭ, 'man', 'husband'.
In [[Old English language|Old English]] the words ''wer'' and ''wyf'' (also ''wæpman'' and ''wifman'') were what was used to refer to "a man" and "a woman" respectively, and "Man" was gender neutral. In [[Middle English]] ''man'' displaced ''wer'' as term for "male human", whilst wifman (which eventually evolved into woman) was retained for "female human". ("Wif" also evolved into the word "[[wife]]".) "Man" does continue to carry its original sense of "[[Human]]" however, resulting in an [[asymmetry]] sometimes criticized as sexist.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=man http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=man] ''Dictionary.reference.com'' </ref> (See also [[Womyn]].)
A very common Indo-European root for woman, *''g<sup>w</sup>en''-, is the source of English [[queen regnant|queen]] (Old English ''cwēn'' primarily meant ''woman'', highborn or not; this is still the case in Danish, with the modern spelling ''kvinde''), as well as [[gynaecology]] (from Greek ''gynē''), [[banshee]] ''fairy woman'' (from Irish ''bean'' ''woman'', ''sí'' ''fairy'') and [[zenana]] (from Persian ''zan''). The Latin ''fēmina'', whence ''female'', is likely from the root in ''fellāre'' (to suck), referring to [[breastfeeding]].<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/34/Q0023400.html http://www.bartleby.com/61/34/Q0023400.html] ''Bartleby.com'' </ref><ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/61/52/F0075200.html http://www.bartleby.com/61/52/F0075200.html] ''Bartleby.com'' </ref>
The symbol for the planet [[Venus]] is the sign also used in biology for the female gender. It is a stylized representation of the goddess Venus's hand [[mirror]] or an abstract symbol for the goddess: a circle with a small equilateral cross underneath ([[Unicode]]: ♀). The Venus symbol also represented [[femininity]], and in ancient alchemy stood for [[copper]]. Alchemists constructed the symbol from a circle (representing [[spirit]]) above an equilateral cross (representing [[matter]]).
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== Age and terminology ==
'''Womanhood''' is the period in a female's life after she has transitioned from girlhood, at least physically, having passed the age of [[menarche]]. Many cultures have [[rites of passage]] to symbolize a woman's [[coming of age]], such as confirmation in some branches of [[Christianity]], [[bat mitzvah]] in [[Judaism]], or even just the custom of a special celebration for a certain [[birthday]] (generally between 12 and 21).
The word ''woman'' can be used generally, to mean any female human, or specifically, to mean an adult female human as contrasted with ''girl''. The word ''girl'' originally meant "young person of either sex" in English; it was only around the beginning of the 16th century that it came to mean specifically a ''female'' [[child]]. Nowadays ''girl'' sometimes is used colloquially to refer to a young or unmarried woman. During the early 1970s feminists challenged such use, and use of the word to refer to a fully grown woman may cause offence. In particular previously common terms such as ''office girl'' are no longer used.
Conversely, in certain cultures which link family [[honor]] with female [[virginity]], the word ''girl'' is still used to refer to a never-married woman; in this sense it is used in a fashion roughly analogous to the obsolete English ''maid'' or ''maiden''. Referring to an unmarried female as a ''woman'' may, in such a culture, imply that she is sexually experienced, which would be an insult to her family.
In some settings, the use of ''girl'' to refer to an adult female is a vestigial practice (such as ''girls' night out''), even among some elderly women. In this sense, ''girl'' may be considered to be the analogue to the British word ''bloke'' for a man, although it again fails to meet the parallel status as an adult. ''Gal'' aside, some feminists cite this lack of an informal yet respectful term for women as [[Misogyny#Misogyny in language|misogynistic]]; <!--Removed guy, which sometimes is used to mean, people, even though guy means male adult in French.--> they regard non-parallel usages, such as ''men and girls,'' as [[sexism|sexist]].
There are various words used to refer to the quality of being a woman. The term "womanhood" merely means the state of being a woman, having passed the [[menarche]]; "femininity" is used to refer to a set of supposedly typical female qualities associated with a certain attitude to [[gender role]]s; "womanliness" is like "femininity", but is usually associated with a different view of gender roles; "femaleness" is a general term, but is often used as shorthand for "human femaleness"; "distaff" is an archaic adjective derived from women's conventional role as a spinner, now used only as a deliberate [[archaism]]; "[[muliebrity]]" is a "neologism" (derived from the Latin) meant to provide a female counterpart of "[[virility]]", but used very loosely, sometimes to mean merely "womanhood", sometimes "femininity", and sometimes even as a collective term for women.
== Biology and gender ==
[[Image:Scheme female reproductive system-en.svg|left|thumb|The human female [[reproductive system]]]]
In terms of [[biology]], the female [[sex organ]]s are involved in the reproductive system, whereas the [[secondary sex characteristic]]s are involved in nurturing children or, in some cultures, attracting a mate. The [[ovaries]], in addition to their regulatory function producing hormones, produce female gametes called [[ovum|eggs]] which, when [[fertilization|fertilized]] by male gametes ([[spermatozoon|sperm]]), form new genetic individuals. The [[uterus]] is an organ with tissue to protect and nurture the developing fetus and muscle to expel it when giving birth. The [[vagina]] is used in copulation and birthing (although the word [[vagina]] is often colloquially and incorrectly used for the [[vulva]] or external female genitalia, which also includes the [[labia (genitalia)|labia]], the [[clitoris]], and the female [[urethra]]). The [[breast]] evolved from the sweat gland to produce milk, a nutritious secretion that is the most distinctive characteristic of mammals, along with live [[birth]]. In mature women, the breast is generally more prominent than in most other mammals; this prominence, not necessary for milk production, is probably at least partially the result of [[sexual selection]]. (For other ways in which men commonly differ physically from women, see [[Man#Biology and Gender|Man]].)
[[Image:Sky spectral karyotype.gif|right|thumb|[[Spectral karyotype]] of a human female. The [[Sex determination and differentiation (human)|XX combination]] is formed at the 23rd week of [[gestation]]. - [http://www.genome.gov//Pages/Hyperion//DIR/VIP/Glossary/Illustration/sky.cfm National Human Genome Resource Institute] ]]
An imbalance of maternal hormonal levels and some chemicals (or drugs) may alter the secondary sexual characteristics of fetuses. Most women have the [[karyotype]] 46,XX, but around one in a thousand will be 47,XXX, and one in 2500 will be [[Turner syndrome|45,X]]. This contrasts with the typical male karotype of 46,XY; thus, the [[x chromosome|X]] and [[Y chromosome]]s are known as female and male, respectively. Unlike the Y chromosome, the X can come from either the [[mother]] or the [[father]], thus genetic studies which focus on the female line use [[Human mitochondrial genetics|mitochondrial DNA]].
Biological factors are not sufficient determinants of whether a person considers themselves a woman or is considered a woman. [[Intersexed]] men and women, who have mixed physical and/or genetic features, may use other criteria in making a clear determination. There are also [[transgender]]ed or [[transsexual]] women, who were born or physically assigned as male at birth, but identify as a woman; there are varying social, legal, and individual definitions with regard to this issue. (See [[transwoman]].)
Although fewer females than males are born (the ratio is around 1:1.05), due to a longer life expectancy there are only 81 men aged 60 or over for every 100 women of the same age, and among the oldest populations, there are only 53 men for every 100 women. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} Women typically have a longer life expectancy than men. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} This is due to a combination of factors: [[genetics]] (redundant and varied [[gene]]s present on [[sex chromosome]]s in women); [[sociology]] (such as not being expected in most countries to perform [[conscription|military service]]); [[health]]-impacting choices (such as [[suicide]] or the use of [[cigarette]]s, and [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]]); the presence of the female hormone [[estrogen]], which has a cardioprotective effect in premenopausal women; and the effect of high levels of [[androgen]]s in men. Out of the total human population, there are 101.3 men for every 100 women (source: 2001 World Almanac).
Most women go through [[menarche]] and are then able to become [[pregnant]] and [[childbirth|bear children]].<ref>Menarche and [[menstruation]] are absent in many of the intersex and transgender conditions mentioned above and also in [[primary amenorrhea]].</ref> This generally requires internal fertilization of her eggs with the sperm of a man through [[sexual intercourse]], though [[artificial insemination]] or the surgical implantation of an existing embryo is also possible (see [[reproductive technology]]). The study of female reproduction and [[sex organ|reproductive organ]]s is called [[gynaecology]]. Women generally reach [[menopause]] in their late 40s or early 50s, at which point their [[ovaries]] cease producing [[estrogen]]{{Fact|date=October 2007}} and they can no longer become pregnant.
To a large extent, women suffer from the same illnesses as men. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} However, there are some diseases that primarily affect women, such as [[Lupus erythematosus|lupus]]. Also, there are some [[sex-related illness]]es that are found more frequently or exclusively in women, e.g., [[breast cancer]], [[cervical cancer]], or [[ovarian cancer]]. Women and men may have different symptoms of an illness and may also respond differently to medical treatment. This area of medical research is studied by [[gender-based medicine]].
During early fetal development, embryos of both sexes appear gender neutral; the release of hormones is what changes physical appearance male or female. As in other cases without two sexes, such as species that reproduce asexually, the gender-neutral appearance is closer to female than to male.
== Culture and gender roles ==
{{main|Gender role}}
{{Unreferencedsection|date=November 2006}}
[[Image:Weaving profile.jpg|thumb|right|A woman weaving. [[Textile]] work has historically been a female occupation in some cultures.]]
[[Image:Belly0091919.jpg|thumb|[[Turkish people|Turkish]] women smoking [[hookah]], 1910.]]
In many [[prehistory|prehistoric]] cultures, women assumed a particular cultural role. In [[hunter-gatherer]] societies, women were generally the gatherers of plant foods, small animal foods, fish, and learned to use dairy products, while men hunted meat from large animals.
The first recorded instance of veiling for women is recorded in an [[Assyria]]n legal text from the 13th century BCE, which restricted its use to noble women and forbade prostitutes and common women from adopting it. Greek texts have also spoken of veiling and [[purdah|seclusion of women]] being practiced among the [[Persian Empire|Persian]] elite. Statues from [[Persepolis]] depict women both veiled and unveiled, and it seems to be regarded as an attribute of higher status. In Islam veiling was not initially enforced, but by the 10th Century, as under the Mamluks in Egypt, laws and proclamations enforcing veiling were steadily applied. If worn with religious intention, it is meant to protect the woman from the environment or the public view to protect her grace and honor and thus is sometimes considered a symbol of patriarchy.<ref>H.Wolf (ed.), Brockhaus, Munich 2004:veil</ref> If not worn with religious impetus, [[veil]] and [[skirt]] have still been typical symbols of a woman.{{Specify|date=February 2007}}
In more recent history, the gender roles of women have changed greatly. Traditionally, [[middle class|middle-class]] women were typically involved in domestic tasks emphasizing child care, and did not enter paid employment. For poorer women, especially [[working class]] women, this often remained an ideal,{{Specify|date=February 2007}} as economic necessity compelled them to seek employment outside the home. The occupations that were available to them were, however, lower in prestige and pay than those available to men.
As changes in the labor market for women came about, availability of employment changed from only "dirty", long houred factory jobs to "cleaner", more respectable office jobs where a little more education was demanded, women's participation in the labor force rose from 6% in 1900 to 23% in 1923. These shifts in the labor force led to changes in the attitudes of women at work, allowing for the "quiet" revolution which resulted in women becoming more career and education oriented. This revolution of women in the labor force came about because of changes in three essential criteria:<ref name="quiet revolution">{{cite journal | last = Goldin | first = Claudia | authorlink = Claudia Goldin | title = The Quiet Revolution that Transformed Women's Employment, Education, and Family | journal = NBER Working Paper No. 11953 | publisher = National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. | location = Cambridge, MA | date = January 2006 | url = http://www.nber.org/papers/w11953.pdf | accessdate = 2007-11-16 }}</ref>
*'''expanded horizons:''' women were anticipating their future work lives, allowing them to then plan for them and receive the education they needed to accomplish that goal;
*'''altered identities:''' women's identities were no longer based upon just family and child-bearing. Their focus became more on career and financial success, and defined themselves thus;
*'''Changes in decision making:''' Women were making decisions regarding their lives, education, and career goals. Marriage was postponed and more women made time to focus on a career and an education, rather than just going to college to meet a spouse.
Women's movements advocate [[equality of opportunity]] with men, and [[equal rights]] irrespective of sex. Through a combination of [[economics|economic]] changes and the efforts of the [[feminism|feminist]] movement{{Specify|date=May 2007}}<!-- Which one? The one that occupies university departments, the movements advocating specific rights, like the Suffragettes, first wave feminism, second wave, the collection of people who identify themselves as feminists? Be clear, please. --> in recent decades women in most societies now have access to careers beyond the traditional one of "[[homemaker]]". <!-- Despite these advances, modern women in Western society still face challenges in the workplace as well as with the topics of education, violence, health care, politics, and motherhood, and others. -- Clear this sentence of its vagueness before returning it to the article.--> <!-- [[Sexism]] can be a main concern and barrier for woman almost anywhere, though its forms, perception, and gravity varies between societies and social classes. -- This sentence can be read in so many ways there is no point in keeping it. Either make it clearer, or move the subject from general, hence vague, to specific and comprehensible. -->
Many observers, including feminist groups, maintain that women in [[industry]] and [[commerce]] face [[glass ceiling]]s.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
These changes and struggles are among the foci of the [[academic]] field of [[women's studies]].{{Fact|date=June 2007}}
==Education and employment==
[[Image:Marilyn Monroe and Cary Grant in Monkey Business trailer 3.JPG|thumb|right|A Moviestar [[Marilyn Monroe]]]]
===OECD countries===
*'''Education'''
Significant progress has also been achieved in reducing the gender gap in educational qualifications. Younger women today are far more likely to have completed a tertiary qualification than women 30 years ago: in 19 of the 30 [[OECD]] countries, more than twice as many women aged 25 to 34 have completed tertiary education than women aged 55 to 64 do. In 21 of 27 OECD countries with comparable data, the number of women graduating from university-level programmes is equal to or exceeds that of men. Last but not least, 15-year-old girls tend to show much higher expectations for their careers than boys of the same age.<ref>[http://www.oecd.org/document/31/0,2340,en_2649_201185_33710751_1_1_1_1,00.html Education Levels Rising in OECD Countries but Low Attainment Still Hampers Some, [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]], Publication Date: 14/09/2004], accessed December 2006</ref>
While women account for more than half of university graduates in several OECD countries, they receive only 30% of tertiary degrees granted in science and engineering fields, and women account for only 25% to 35% of researchers in most OECD countries.<ref>[http://www.oecd.org/document/13/0,2340,en_2649_33703_37682893_1_1_1_1,00.html Women in Scientific Careers: Unleashing the Potential, [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]], ISBN 92-64-02537-5, Publication Date: 20/11/2006], accessed December 2006</ref>
*'''Employment'''
In OECD countries, women’s employment is not necessarily synonymous with high wages and career opportunities. The labour market remains difficult for women and in all fields of activity, it will be a long time before women have equal access to the same occupations as men. In OECD countries, both men and women work in an occupation where their own gender is in a strong majority. Over half of the occupations surveyed are more than 80% ‘dominated’ by the same gender. The scale and permanence of the phenomenon are such that it is customary to talk about ‘traditionally male’ and ‘traditionally-female’ jobs. But there are five times as many male-dominated occupations in the OECD countries as there are female-dominated ones. Women’s employment is therefore narrowly concentrated in a small number of highly female-dominated occupations. Yet on average women account for over 40% of total employment in the OECD area.<ref>[http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php3?aid=88 OECD Observer: The continuing saga of labour market segregation, OECD Observer, Published: April 1999], accessed December 2006</ref>
== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
*[http://www.aas.duke.edu/admin/deans/faculty/ Chafe, William H.], "The American Woman: Her Changing Social, Economic, And Political Roles, 1920-1970", Oxford University Press, 1972. ISBN 0-19-501785-4
* ''Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus'', (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003 3rd edition) ISBN 0-618-25414-5
* McWhorter, John. 'The Uses of Ugliness', ''The New Republic Online'', January 31, 2002. Retrieved [[May 11]] [[2005]] ["bitch" as an affectionate term]
* McWhorter, John. ''Authentically Black: Essays for the Black Silent Majority'' (New York: Gotham, 2003) ISBN 1-59240-001-9 [casual use of "bitch" in ebonics]
* ''Routledge international encyclopedia of women'', 4 vls., ed. by Cheris Kramarae and Dale Spender, Routledge 2000
* ''Women in world history : a biographical encyclopedia'', 17 vls., ed. by Anne Commire, Waterford, Conn. [etc.] : Yorkin Publ. [etc.], 1999 - 2002
== See also ==
{|width=100%
|-valign=top
|width=50%|
* [[Childbirth]]
* [[Feminism]]
* [[Gender and sexuality studies]]
* [[Gender differences]]
* [[Girl]]
* [[Gynaecology]]
* [[Lady]]
* [[Lesbian]]
* [[:Category:Lists of women|Lists of women]]
* [[Matriarchy]]
* [[Menstruation]]
* [[Menopause]]
* [[Misogyny]]
* [[New Woman]]
|width=50%|
* [[Obstetrics]]
* [[Sexism]]
* [[Timeline of women's suffrage]]
* [[Women in science]]
* [[Women in religion]]
* [[Women's rights]]
* [[Women's suffrage]]
* [[Womyn]]
|}
== External links ==
{{Commonscat|Women}}
{{Wikiquote|Women}}
{{Wiktionary|woman}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/wiwp/index_static.shtml BBC site on women premiers and other recent women civic and political leaders]
* [http://www.fembio.org/default.shtml FemBio – Notable Women International]
* [http://www.newsonwomen.com/ NewsOnWomen]
* [http://www.helsinki.fi/science/xantippa/wee/wee26.html Women and Christianity: representations and practices]
* [http://www.islamfortoday.com/women.htm Women in Islam]
* [http://www.wic.org/misc/history.htm Women's History in America]
* [http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/ Celebration of Women Writers]
{{Human}}
[[Category:Women| ]]
[[Category:Gender]]
[[af:Vrou]]
[[ang:Wīf]]
[[ar:مرأة]]
[[an:Muller]]
[[az:Qadın]]
[[zh-min-nan:Cha-bó͘]]
[[be:Жанчына]]
[[be-x-old:Жанчына]]
[[bar:Wei]]
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[[br:Maouez]]
[[bg:Жена]]
[[ca:Dona]]
[[cs:Žena]]
[[da:Kvinde]]
[[pdc:Fraa]]
[[de:Frau]]
[[et:Naine]]
[[el:Γυναίκα]]
[[es:Mujer]]
[[eo:Virino]]
[[fa:زن]]
[[fr:Femme]]
[[ga:Bean]]
[[gd:Bean]]
[[gl:Muller]]
[[ko:여성]]
[[hi:नारी]]
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[[io:Muliero]]
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[[ia:Femina]]
[[is:Kona]]
[[it:Donna]]
[[he:אישה]]
[[ka:ქალი]]
[[sw:Mwanamke]]
[[ku:Jin]]
[[la:Mulier]]
[[lt:Moteris]]
[[lij:Donna]]
[[hu:Nő]]
[[mt:Mara]]
[[ms:Perempuan]]
[[nah:Cihuātl]]
[[nl:Vrouw]]
[[nds-nl:Vraauw]]
[[cr:ᐃᔅᐧᑫᐤ]]
[[new:मिसा]]
[[ja:女性]]
[[no:Kvinne]]
[[nn:Kvinne]]
[[nrm:Fenme]]
[[nds:Fru]]
[[pl:Kobieta]]
[[pt:Mulher]]
[[ksh:Frauminsch]]
[[ro:Femeie]]
[[qu:Warmi]]
[[ru:Женщина]]
[[scn:Fìmmina]]
[[simple:Woman]]
[[sk:Žena]]
[[sl:Ženska]]
[[sr:Жена]]
[[fi:Nainen]]
[[sv:Kvinna]]
[[tl:Babae (kasarian)]]
[[th:ผู้หญิง]]
[[tr:Kadın]]
[[uk:Жінка]]
[[vls:Vrouwe]]
[[wuu:女性]]
[[yi:פרוי]]
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