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Well, if you know about language, many terms are gender specific--in most languages it's a kind of requirement. In order to convey as much meaning as possible, language was created to be specific--gender specificity included. English is one of the few languages that doesn't generally denote gender, at least in an obvious way.
Anyway, I don't find it to be offensive. It's like suggesting that we shouldn't have feminine pronouns, because "her" and "she" are belittling by their conveying femininity. It just seems odd to me.
Now, "lil' ladies" comes off as more offensive than your suggested genderized occupational language. I think once terms take on a cutesie nature i.e. "sweetie," "honey," "darlin'," and "lil' lady" and it's not a significant other or really good friend who you know isn't meaning to denigrate you: then it can be rather demeaning and highly offensive.
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"Our dad use to murder us in cold blood each night and dance about on our graves singing, 'Alleluia!'" John Cleese in the skit Four Yorkshiremen
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