Google lets you target male/female demo's and, to my knowledge, always has. Literally every advertiser does this and always has. I am not sure why this article even exists.
With demographic targeting in Google Ads, you can reach a
specific set of potential customers who are likely to be
within a particular age range, gender, parental status,
or household income. For instance, if you run a fitness
studio exclusively for women, demographic targeting could
help you avoid showing your ads to men.
