I've been seeing this a couple places, and have started to hear it in people's speech patterns...
When did "females" become a "people" term? It might be because I grew up with nature documentaries, but my gut reaction is that referring to women as "females" is really dehumanizing, just like referring to men as "males".
Is it because women has the syllable "men" in it? I mean, that's ridiculous, but I've heard crazier...
Alternatively, it would make sense if people were using it purely as a sex indicator, but every time I've seen it used, it's used in a context where the people described are clearly (in context, at least) cisgender.
Seriously people, what's wrong with the "girls, women, and ladies" model?
She's a girl if she hasn't hit puberty yet or as a term of endearment, a women if she's reached adulthood, and you can use either (or ladies) to refer to the gender as a whole. Female is the appropriate adjective, as is feminine, though the latter is tied to the gender role rather than the gender itself.
Similarly, boy is for prepubescent men or as a term of endearment, and you can use either term (or guys) to refer to the gender as a whole. Male is the appropriate adjective, as is masculine, though the latter is tied to the gender role rather than the gender itself.
I do support condensing the three specifically female honorifics (Miss, Ms, and Mrs) down into just Ms; given the reduced importance of marriage in our society, having an "I'm taken" marker is kinda tacky, especially if it's just for one gender. It just feels wrong for me to address people with their first names unless I actually know them; I'm pretty polite whenever I speak to people in public - I blame my upbringing.
I mean, I do my best to be accommodating to people's preferences; if someone corrects me, I quickly adjust to using the proper pronouns or whatever. It's just... is this really a thing, now? Going with such a clinical word just seems creepy to me.
So... enlighten me?