weaker sex

American  

noun

Older Use: Sometimes Offensive.

1. the female sex; women (usually used facetiously).

   my life as a member of the weaker sex.

---

weaker sex British  

/ ˈwiːkə /

noun

1. the female sex

---

Sensitive Note

This is a dated term, usually used for humorous effect but sometimes perceived as condescending to women. It reinforces the stereotype of a weak female.

Example Sentences

The Americans definitely seems to be depicting men as the weaker sex, which is refreshing—and in my opinion—an accurate depiction of the world of espionage.

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2013

In the animal world too, across a range of species, males tend to be the "weaker sex" in terms of immune defences, the Cambridge research team said.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2012

Women aren't a weaker sex but, as you said, a separate one.

From Time Magazine Archive

I have thought of one humorous remark—about the "weaker sex" being really stronger—which I fancy will be effective, but I can't think of another.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, August 22, 1891 by Various

I could not reconcile it to my sense of humanity to subject the weaker sex to the probable dangers and certain hardships of confinement on board the Chickamauga.

From The Narrative of a Blockade-Runner by Wilkinson, John