Words are all about how are being used. In the recent years, the word "female" has been actively used by a certain subculture that shall not be named, usually with negative or derogatory connotation. Some of their representatives argue that this is just a normal language change and that "female" is replacing "woman" in the colloquial English. I instead argue that they are self-entitled pricks who live in their parent's basement. Anyway, due to these connotations, I make my best to avoid using "female" or "male" to refer to humans.
I used to be dismissive of the gender term issues when I was younger, then I went to a conference on that topic and it totally changed my stance. There is very clear neurocognitive evidence that professional terms such as "doctor" are associated with male practitioners. That's what women have to deal with.
That said, as a linguist I am skeptical about engineering language change to be more inclusive. Language is never sexist, it's the language use or connotation is sexist. What good is that if we introduce neutral terms or pronouns to deal with these issues if they develop derogatory or male connotation over time. The only sustainable way to deal with these issues is to reset the expectations. Hence the importance of DEI, as long as it is done well. We need more women in traditionally male-dominated roles.
