# Gender association with the word "Jerk" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 31, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467 "2010-03-31T16:15:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/21 "2010-03-31T18:54:04Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > The urban dictionary think the ‘c—’ word is equivalent to jerk but those folks are … uh… just wrong. [Cite](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jerk.+loser) In Britain, perhaps. “Jerks” are male by default, but there are plenty of female jerks in the world, too. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/22 "2010-03-31T20:05:41Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Woah. I don’t see that at all. When you bring genitalia into the mix, you’re dangerously close to the “C” word. IMHO. > [@Heckity](#): > > Huh, that’s interesting. To me ‘twat’ is almost the ‘c’ word and considerably more offensive than jerk. I would not want to be called a ‘twat’ when I was only being jerkish. > [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Oh, man! “_Twat_”? That’s just one step down from “cunt”, in my book! I actually laughed imagining your reaction upon calling me a twat, when I’m only being a jerk. > [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > KneadtoKnow suggests twat for women in place of jerk but in my experience there are no words for female genatalia that women don’t find highly offensive–especially women who take umbrage at ‘bitch’. I should have said more clearly: “to me” == “in my head.” I would not actually call someone a _twat_ any more than I would actually call someone a _jerk_. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/23 "2010-03-31T21:08:50Z")
People call me a jerk all the time and I’m a woman. I think it might be a generational thing. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/24 "2010-03-31T21:20:46Z")
For me, if you just mention jerk, I will likely think male. But I don’t think it’s exclusively male; that’s just the default. I feel the same way about asshole, but bitch is always assumed to be female, to the point where I would think you were calling a male effeminate by using the word. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/25 "2010-03-31T22:17:39Z")
I think calling a woman a bitch is 10 times worse than calling her a jerk. Also remember there is a difference between being a bitch and being “bitchy about something.” To me a jerk is someone who is annoying but not really an issue. Kind of like a fly buzzing around your face. Definately annoying but not anything to have a stroke over. ---
**Author:** ![BCHH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@BCHH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BCHH)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/26 "2010-04-01T18:44:35Z")
I have a 3 y.o. nephew that was playing with Hot Wheels and was overheard by his mom referring to a “lady jerk” that cut him off in traffic. My wife and I use that one all the time now. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/27 "2010-04-01T18:47:59Z")
I had no idea the word “jerk” was so strongly associated with being male. To me, the word “jerk” has no gender association. ---
**Author:** ![BCHH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@BCHH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BCHH)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/28 "2010-04-01T19:02:50Z")
Missed the edit window… I think _jerk_ seems more masculine. The male couterpart for _bitch_ in my mind is more like _prick_ or _asshole_. Though according to Frank Zappa, ladies, you can be assholes, too. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/29 "2010-04-01T23:08:39Z")
> [@BCHH](#): > > I think _jerk_ seems more masculine. The male couterpart for _bitch_ in my mind is more like _prick_ or _asshole_. Though according to Frank Zappa, ladies, you can be assholes, too. I think you hit it spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/30 "2010-04-02T14:54:26Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > came to the conclusion that “bitch” was too harsh and I can just be a jerk. This is my take too. “Jerk” can be for either sex, though more commonly male. To be more harsh, then a woman is a “bitch” and the male equivalent is “asshole” or “bastard”. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/31 "2010-04-02T16:02:38Z")
Jerkism is a state of mind that knows no gender. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/32 "2010-04-02T16:10:49Z")
I view it abstractly as a male pejorative… …yet, in practice, you can call anyone a jerk. (However, I voted “a man” because it _feels_ masculine) ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467/33 "2010-04-02T16:23:11Z")
I picked Man because I think it’s usually associated with men, but for that reason, I like to use it (when called for) about women as well. I do the same with dick – sometimes, there is no getting around the fact that behavior is dickish and you need to call that out, whether it is coming from a man or a woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gender-association-with-the-word-jerk/534467.md?page=1)