In the electrical equipment and machinery industries and manufacturing, each half of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is typically designated as male or female. The "female" connector is generally the socket that receives and holds the "male" connector. Sometimes the connector mating terminology "male" and "female" is referred to as ending in A and B respectively, and some specification names contradict this, as they include the English letters A or B in their names; however, it is also very rare for the terminology to include both plug and socket or jack, although this is likely to cause confusion in everyday conversation.
In some situations, the power flow from one device to another via electronic connectors is determined by the connector's gender according to strict standards to enforce unidirectional flow. This gender distinction is implemented to enhance safety or ensure proper functioning by avoiding unsafe or non-functional configurations. In mathematical graph theory terms, the power distribution network consisting of plugs and sockets is a directed tree, with directional arrows corresponding to the electrical conversion of each mating pair. Male and female connectors are intentionally designed and assigned to physically implement a secure network topology, without forcing unidirectional flow through connector gender assignment. Flow through a conduit network can be bidirectional, as in groundwater distribution networks with design redundancy. Unidirectional flow is desirable in conduit configurations, achieved through other means such as gravity flow or one-way check valves, rather than through a male-female gender scheme. The following discusses the mechanical fastener gender of connectors and gender selection in electronic connector design!
Connector mechanical fastener gender
In connector mechanical design, the prototypical "convex" component is the threaded bolt, but alignment posts, mounting bosses, or plate connectors can also be considered convex. Correspondingly, nuts, alignment holes, mounting recesses, or plate slots are considered feminine. While some connector mechanical designs are "one-off" custom-made and not intended to be repeated, the entire fastener industry focuses on manufacturing mass-produced or semi-custom parts. To better avoid unnecessary confusion, traditional definitions of fastener types have long been defined and negotiated.
Gender selection in electronic connector design
Electronic connector designers often choose female connectors for mounting on the electronic products they design. This is generally because female connectors are more resistant to damage or contamination due to their concealed or recessed electrical contacts. Damaged motherboard connectors can result in costly scrap electronic products. Degrading more exposed male contacts to a connecting cable can reduce the risk of costly damage, while the connecting cable can be repaired or replaced at a lower cost.
Some say that male connectors are more sensitive and fragile than female connectors when using RS232 serial ports. Others say male coaxial connectors are more prone to failure. Still others say female coaxial connectors are more likely to fail. However, these cost and stability considerations may very well have led to design decisions using jack connectors as serial ports on many computer terminals (and some personal computers), violating the connector gender conventions required by the "DTE" computer RS-232 standard. This confusing reversal of RS-232 connector gender conventions can leave even the most discerning users frustrated for hours as they attempt to troubleshoot non-functional serial communication connections.
