I would prefer and recommend that we stop using gender-specific anything and removing the dependency. Gender isn't a binary "male" "female" for many people and I think it would be best if localized binaries of IM clients instead use words that don't have a gender designation or implication.
"Away" or "Busy" in English have nothing to do with the gender of the party that has assigned that presence. If localizations are assigning gender to contacts in the roster, it should (in my opinion) not assign a gender of any kind to a contact.
I would prefer and recommend that we stop using gender-specific anything and removing the dependency. Gender isn't a binary "male" "female" for many people and I think it would be best if localized binaries of IM clients instead use words that don't have a gender designation or implication.
"Away" or "Busy" in English have nothing to do with the gender of the party that has assigned that presence. If localizations are assigning gender to contacts in the roster, it should (in my opinion) not assign a gender of any kind to a contact.