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.

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weaker sex British  

/ ˈwiːkə /

noun

1. the female sex

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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

"Has Genevieve—has my wife——" Then George remembered that his uncle was an older man and that chivalry is not limited to the treatment of the weaker sex.

From The Sturdy Oak A composite Novel of American Politics by fourteen American authors by Jordan, Elizabeth Garver

No one denies, indeed, that woman has, of late, ris' wonderfully in the market; or that the weaker sex is coming it amazingly strong.

From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 55, No. 340, February, 1844 by Various