Is "Mate" a gender neutral term

[LizK]

The question I have is probably self evident but I will give it some context.


When using the term "mate" is it something you would constantly use for a female friend in lieu of her name?


Would you normally use "Mate" when referring to a male friend?

Some examples of what I mean

"What do you think mate"

"How was your day mate?"

"Well mate I have to go"

"Hi mate how are you?"

"That's great news mate"

[Cindy]

 In Australia yes.

Mate.

Catch you next week Liz.

[LizK]

In Australia yes.

Mate.

Catch you next week Liz.

Thanks Cindy, look forward to catching up.

[Kirsteneklund7]

Mates can be XY , XX have tits or not. My wife calls female friends mate. Male friends are mate.

Mate is achieved through  a few social interactions & tests to assure someone is trustworthy and (fair dinkum).

I have female friends I call mate.I have male friends I call mate. Some people that call me mate are women & some people are men.

Mate is more than aquaintance.

Mate is a term bestowed on someone you trust.

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[LizK]

Mates can be XY , XX have tits or not. My wife calls female friends mate. Male friends are mate.

Mate is achieved through  a few social interactions & tests to assure someone is trustworthy and (fair dinkum).

I have female friends I call mate.I have male friends I call mate. Some people that call me mate are women & some people are men.

Mate is more than aquaintance.

Mate is a term bestowed on someone you trust.

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Sounds about right to me but I had a Trans girlfriend complaining about this as she had been called mate by a complete stranger(male) and she felt it was another way of being misgendered. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[Kirsteneklund7]

Sounds about right to me but I had a Trans girlfriend complaining about this as she had been called mate by a complete stranger(male) and she felt it was another way of being misgendered. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Complete stranger is an issue in my humble opinion.

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[AnneK]

"What do you think mate"

In the dictionary sense no.  Some people refer to their spouse that way..  It's not a word I use very often, but then I'm not Australian.

[Kylo]

Yes. I see women using it for each other where I am.

[Angela H]

What about 'man'? As in, "Hey man, how you doing?"

People act like I'm being overly sensitive if I complain about this 

[Northern Star Girl]

The question I have is probably self evident but I will give it some context.


When using the term "mate" is it something you would constantly use for a female friend in lieu of her name?


Would you normally use "Mate" when referring to a male friend?

Some examples of what I mean

"What do you think mate"

"How was your day mate?"

"Well mate I have to go"

"Hi mate how are you?"

"That's great news mate"

@LizK     
Dear Liz:
To my American ears when I hear the term "Mate"...  I definitely think it is a "Male" term and definitely NOT a term to address any female anywhere and of any age ....

But of course both YOU and @Cindy for sure are in the right place (Australia) to make that distinction.

Hugs,
Danielle

[Julia1996]

Not for Aussies. Tristan calls only guys "mate". He calls women "love". The first time he called my grandma "love" she wasn't pleased. She said " you may address me as Mrs. Anderson young man"! Lol. He has never called her love again.

[Julia1996]

Though an interesting exception is that he refers to a group of friends his "mates" even if there are females in the group. I tell you Australian is like a different language. I totally think I should get credit for being bilingual because I understand him. 😂

[Jessica]

It may be, in the states if someone addresses a group of individuals, mixed or singular genders, it sometimes goes like..."how are you guys doing" or "what do you guys want to do" etc.
I does seem odd that it is that way.  One wouldn't think "guy" is directed as a feminine term, but it is sometimes.

[Julia1996]

Mates can be XY , XX have tits or not. My wife calls female friends mate. Male friends are mate.

Mate is achieved through  a few social interactions & tests to assure someone is trustworthy and (fair dinkum).

I have female friends I call mate.I have male friends I call mate. Some people that call me mate are women & some people are men.

Mate is more than aquaintance.

Mate is a term bestowed on someone you trust.

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Really? That's interesting. The only Aussie female I know is Tristan's mom. She always says her friends I've never heard her say her mates. I always assumed Tristan calling guys mate was the equivalent of my brother calling guys "dude". Though he did once call my grandma dude by accident. She smacked him on the head with a wooden spoon . 😂😂 she didn't do it hard. My dad doesn't like Tyler calling him dude either. He always says "I'm your dad, not dude "!

[Kylo]

Go up to Yorks and you'll get called "duck" and "love" even if you're a guy.

I wouldn't get uptight about it.

[NatalieRene]

Sounds about right to me but I had a Trans girlfriend complaining about this as she had been called mate by a complete stranger(male) and she felt it was another way of being misgendered. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

I don't think she was being misgendered but the guy was being too familiar. On the offhand it was intended as a slight he used the word incorrectly.

[MaryT]

"Mate", "china" (its rhyming slang equivalent) or pal are used as greetings by friends (and occasionally cheeky strangers) to men, in my experience,  in England and Southern Africa at least.  As a reply, those words are used mostly by strangers who are trying to be amiable towards men, e.g. a taxi driver's response to a request for assistance might be "OK mate".  Towards women, "madam", "ma'am", "missus", "miss" or "love" are more likely in replies from strangers, in my experience.

The only American use of "mate" for "friend", that I have encountered, is in the song that goes "It's simply great, mate, waiting on the levee, waiting for the Robert E Lee."

[Kirsteneklund7]

Really? That's interesting. The only Aussie female I know is Tristan's mom. She always says her friends I've never heard her say her mates. I always assumed Tristan calling guys mate was the equivalent of my brother calling guys "dude". Though he did once call my grandma dude by accident. She smacked him on the head with a wooden spoon . [emoji23][emoji23] she didn't do it hard. My dad doesn't like Tyler calling him dude either. He always says "I'm your dad, not dude "!

Just remember Julia(mate) there are 25 million of us Australians and we are all weird!
    Kind regards, Kirsten x.

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[Julia1996]

Just remember Julia(mate) there are 25 million of us Australians and we are all weird!
    Kind regards, Kirsten x.

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Lol, Aussies are not weird. You are unique in a very good way.😌

[Kirsteneklund7]

Lol, Aussies are not weird. You are unique in a very good way.[emoji18]

Thank you.! xx.

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