distaff vs female

distaff and female both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
distaff	Yes	Yes	No	No
female	Yes	Yes	No	No

As adjectives, distaff and female are synonyms defined as:

distaff (noun)	female (noun)
the staff on which wool or flax is wound before spinning	an animal that produces gametes (ova) that can be fertilized by male gametes (spermatozoa)
the sphere of work by women	a person who belongs to the sex that can have babies

distaff (adjective)	female (adjective)
characteristic of or peculiar to a woman	being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
	for or pertaining to or composed of women or girls
	characteristic of or peculiar to a woman