There is a difference between a ‘pedophile’ and a ‘pederast’, in that a pedophile may be a man or a woman and has mostly a strong mental desire to have sex with children — boys an girls aged between 6 and 11 — and may not necessarily have real sex with them, whereas a ‘pederast’ is a man who regularly had or has anal sex with a boy, usually a boy aged between 10 and 15. However, in the present day usage, pedophile is the word used for any adult — man or woman — who likes to have sex or who has sex with children — boys or girls, from very young to grown-ups.