Sorry I wasn't trying to be flippant or dismissive. I really am trying to point out a simple miscommunication. If the word truly offended someone I worked with I would substitute it for something else. I don't even like the term to be honest. Never have.
Oh, I wasn't really objecting to the content of what you said there... It's open for debate whether or not there's a better expression than "man hours".
I just wanted to point out that said debate would hinge on more than a narrowly semantic question about the meaning of "man".