The word いや - gender?


I've been told that いや (in its use similar to いいえ) is a mainly masculine word,
but I've heard many female speakers use it, both as a filler and a content
word expressing disagreement. Is it that young female speakers use it these
days?




When いや is used in the sense of being a casual way to say 'no', yes, it is
mostly only used by men. And as Hideki says, 嫌だ meaning disgust or dislike is
the other meaning. The reason I'm submitting a separate answer that says the
same as his is because of potential difference in dialect.

I've been living in Tokyo for several years and I hear women (usually mid
thirties and under) say 嫌だ all the time, and I have never heard a man say it.
This is, of course, just my experience, but perhaps if the other answerer is
living in Kansai or something, it's a difference in trend or dialect.




There are two kinds of いや.

One is the one you mentioned. It basically means 'no'.

The other is a short form of 嫌{いや}だ. This word expresses a feeling of disgust
/ dislike. Actually young female speakers use the short form a lot. Male
speakers say いやだ and seldom use the short form.

