I think the bigger problem is that of course they can. In the article I listed three, brilliant, highly educated women, all claiming they're unwilling or unable to define the word that happens to describe what they are. Even though they all use it frequently.

This would have been unthinkable even ten years ago. In fact, asking somebody what a woman was would have seemed bizarre ten years ago because the answer is so obvious. But today, it's basically a test of whether you're willing to answer the question honestly or not. Are you willing to take the abuse and the threats and the risk to your career? It's not about the smartest people in the room anymore. It's about the bravest.