woman (adj.)

female (adj.). Occasionally, very occasionally, it is necessary to modify a noun to indicate whether it's a man or a woman: male nurse, female archbishop. You never read about a man gynecologist or a man babysitter; it's always a male gynecologist or a male babysitter. In the interests of parallel treatment, which always seems a sound principle, use "female" for women: female driver, female prime minister. The best check is to substitute the opposite sex in place of your adjective and see how silly it looks: "oddly enough, the man candidate never once called on a woman in the audience." The 2013 AP Style Guide says to always use "female" as an adjective, never "woman." See also female (adj.), woman.