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@dj3ei

Although I remember feeling slightly irritated when I first came across this terminology many years ago, I now have a different view on it compared to you. (It also seemed more like an American thing to me — it's not normally used in Estonia.) What you're missing is the self-irony. Even an amateur much younger than you and me may be addressed as 'old man' – and I can only ever say this with a smile on my face. And an old lady will always stay young because, you know, if only we could stop time... While XYL seems openly sexist, it wouldn't be if I addressed my wife this way (instead of talking about her on the air to others) — we'd remember the days when we were both young with a slight sense of wistfulness. So, while getting rid of all that chauvinism, I would like to see us keep the terminology and use it the way I outlined. After all, we are human beings with all our whims and mistakes. And radio communication is about human beings communicating.

And while I'm on the subject, let's do away with commemorative days like International Women's Day, Mother's Day, Children's Day, International Men's Day and International Non-Binary People's Day. I really hate this hypocrisy.

But first of all: I'm glad to see more women getting into amateur radio. Hopefully this will make the whole issue obsolete.