# Should the term "you guys" refer to males only, or is it more or less genderless? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 13, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931 "2015-05-13T12:30:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/1 "2015-05-13T12:30:37Z")
My wife thinks if one uses the term, as in, “hey, what are you guys doing this weekend?”, that it should apply only to the male of the species. I think it’s become such a general term that it’s fine to use for a mixed group of men and women. I’d probably even use for two or more women I was casually acquainted with, say if I passed a couple women I worked with in the hall I might say “hey, guys”. But I wouldn’t refer to a single female as a guy, so maybe it’s just me who is being too casual with informal gendered pronouns, and my wife is correct. What do you guys think? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/2 "2015-05-13T12:51:53Z")
It’s gender neutral… ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/3 "2015-05-13T12:53:43Z")
I just avoid the issue by saying “you folks” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/4 "2015-05-13T12:54:00Z")
Part of me thinks it’s only gender-neutral if you can also refer to a bunch of guys as “you gals” without getting punched. That said, I use it to refer to men & women both. I blame the sexism inherent in the system. I’m switching to use “y’all” instead. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/5 "2015-05-13T13:01:31Z")
_You guys_ is genderless _Youse_ and _youse guys_ are also genderless and ::shudder:: \*Y’all \*and _all y’all_ are most correct. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/6 "2015-05-13T13:52:11Z")
It’s gender-neutral for me – I and women I know use it all the time to address other women. E: I would also be game for a nationwide adoption of “y’all” and “all y’all” ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/7 "2015-05-13T13:58:31Z")
Gender-neutral. I have a weekly status phone call with a number of colleagues who are all women at other companies, and I always begin the conversation “Hey guys.” ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/8 "2015-05-13T14:08:44Z")
> [@solost](#): > > My wife thinks if one uses the term, as in, “hey, what are you guys doing this weekend?”, that it should apply only to the male of the species. I think it’s become such a general term that it’s fine to use for a mixed group of men and women. I’d probably even use for two or more women I was casually acquainted with, say if I passed a couple women I worked with in the hall I might say “hey, guys”. But I wouldn’t refer to a single female as a guy, so maybe it’s just me who is being too casual with informal gendered pronouns, and my wife is correct. > > What do **you guys** think? (my embolden) I almost missed that. I think of it as _leaning_ towards male, so I’ll often say ‘you lot’, ‘you’, ‘OK people’ (I think I got that from the TV series **Fame** ), ‘we’ or ‘everyone’. It depends on whether I’m speaking in the first, second or third person plural, or maybe I don’t want to commit to any of them. If I ask “What’s everyone doing this weekend?” that also includes me, although I should already know. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/9 "2015-05-13T14:09:34Z")
Gender Neutral I was told by a coworker that women and/or trans people might be offended by it, but if you’re offended by “you guys” then you need to get over yourself and get real ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/10 "2015-05-13T14:22:14Z")
I think “you guys,” like “mankind,” is a gender neutral term, meant to apply to both men and women. The fact that we use a masculine word to describe “men and women” is absolutely a result of the fact that the language was developed in a male-centric culture. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/11 "2015-05-13T14:35:19Z")
Gender neutral. So are most phrases/expressions these day including “girlfriend” (As in “Girlfriend, you just AREN’T going to believe what I found”) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/12 "2015-05-13T14:48:04Z")
Gender neutral. And I’ve used “you girls” to a group of males . . . but that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/13 "2015-05-13T15:12:14Z")
It’s gender-neutral and if you’re offended by it you need to pull up your big girl panties and grow up. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/14 "2015-05-13T15:35:23Z")
Gender neutral in general. I use the term among friends. If there is a group of people that I don’t know, I usually use “You folks”…especially if the group is older. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/15 "2015-05-13T15:53:47Z")
I would say it’s gender neutral. I’m certainly not offended by it, and I use it, too. I’m thinking older women (in their 80s or 90s) might not like it, but I don’t know anyone younger who would even notice the use. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/16 "2015-05-13T16:18:17Z")
I use it in a gender-neutral way, and I don’t mind if someone calls a group that I’m a part of “you guys.” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/17 "2015-05-13T16:25:59Z")
Genderless ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/18 "2015-05-13T17:11:45Z")
I knew a bunch of young women who went to all-girl high schools. They constantly called each other by their last names and referred to their peer group as “the guys.” If it didn’t bother them, it doesn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/19 "2015-05-13T17:54:25Z")
A group of men only = You guys A group of men and women = You guys A group of women only = You ladies. I’ve actually done social experiments with the word “ladies”. If I’m at work and I pass two women in the hallway and say to them: “How are y’all doing today?” they will typically respond with a very passive response: “I’m doing good.” If however, I were to say to those same two women: “How are you ladies doing today?” you can see their face light up with a more cheery, animated response: “Hey, Shakes! I’m doing well! How are you?” ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931/20 "2015-05-13T18:10:28Z")
The _Washington Post_ points out that the gender-neutral use of _you guys_ goes back at least to the 1930s: [http://http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/24/an-unnecessarily-long-and-surprisingly-fascinating-history-of-guys/](http://http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/24/an-unnecessarily-long-and-surprisingly-fascinating-history-of-guys/). Me, I say “y’all”. But a linguist I read once, and I’m sorry I can’t find the cite, argued that _you guys_ is becoming the standard second-person plural pronoun in American English. I do notice a growing use of _y’all_ by non-Southerners, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-term-you-guys-refer-to-males-only-or-is-it-more-or-less-genderless/719931.md?page=2)