femininegendered

Femininegendered is a descriptor used in language and gender studies to indicate association with feminine gender within a particular linguistic or cultural system. It is not a formal, universal category, but a label applied to forms, referents, roles, or practices deemed feminine in a given context.

In linguistics, femininegendered items are those that participate in feminine agreement or inflection within languages that assign gender to nouns or pronouns. This can apply to nouns, articles, adjectives, or other modifiers. For example, in languages with grammatical gender, many feminine nouns require feminine articles and agreement, regardless of any natural gender attributes of the referent. The assignment of feminine gender is a grammatical convention and can differ across languages, sometimes diverging from biological sex.

In sociocultural usage, the term can describe products, spaces, activities, or expectations that are culturally coded as feminine. This includes marketing that targets women or feminine-coded aesthetics, as well as social roles or practices historically associated with femininity. Discussions of femininegendered phenomena often intersect with debates about gender stereotypes, labor division, and the fluidity of gender expression.

Critiques emphasize that labeling things as femininegendered can reinforce binary thinking or essentialist notions of gender. Critics advocate for recognizing spectrum and fluidity in gender identities and expressions, and for language that respects nonbinary and trans experiences. Related concepts include gendered language, grammatical gender, and feminine-coded versus masculine-coded constructions.