Okay, a change of approach today. This is a “which word should be used?” dilemma.
Woman/Lady – which?
For me, in a customer service role, I’d say to someone else: “This lady has a problem with her computer” (or whatever it might be). But if I were talking about it later, I’d say: “There was a really nice woman who came in today with a problem with her computer.” Possibly equivalent to using vous/tu in French? It’s much easier in my Regency fiction as it’s ‘lady’ all the way. No dilemmas. No concern that I’m going to offend someone. Book characters, mind you, are good like that. They only get offended if I decide they’re going to 😉
I know people tend to have strong views in both directions, so please take care to be polite and respectful of others.