Titles

Because you are neither a 4 year old girl or a cartoon character. An Adult woman going by “Miss” is really odd

It's another of those things where men have to expend zero mental energy, but women can be judged for their choice, have assumptions made and have their preference disrespected. I've no idea why anyone has to make a meal of it. Anglophone women have a choice of 3 titles (if they've not acquired a religious, academic or 'noble' one). I think at this point in history they should just be treated as alternatives with no particular inferences drawn.

I've been Ms since I knew what it meant and thought 'that makes perfect sense'. I haven't needed counselling or accused anyone of mis-missing me when I've been called Mrs partner's name (by teachers who automatically assume I'm married and have taken the name of our children's father) Because I understand that people assume things and I'm not going to get cross. I correct if I can be arsed but often let it go.

I was Ms Maidenname before I was married, Ms Maidenname when I was married and Ms Maidenname now I am divorced. Suits me fine.

Lord has a nice ring to it. I fancy Baroness.

I randomly swap between titles so I have some things as Miss, some as Ms and a few family things as Mrs but I haven’t changed my name. I just can’t be bothered and click on any option. Maybe I should try Lord next.

We don't need titles. Best dispensed with altogether imo.

I always hated the "Miss Mrs or Ms" question because my marital status is entirely irrelevant

That's what Ms is for,it says precisely nothing about your marital status.

Although having read Mumsnet for a while now, some people use Miss when married or Mrs when not married and some people think Ms means divorced. It's all a bit messy really.

I always hated the "Miss Mrs or Ms" question because my marital status is entirely irrelevant to 99.999% of people who ask it, e.g. salespeople selling me a fridge or whatever. I got around it by getting a PhD so I could reply "it's Dr actually" but these days I look so old and tired that I hardly ever get asked "Miss Mrs or Ms" any more, they just assume I must be Mrs and don't bother checking.

A lot of surgeons use 'Miss MaidenName' regardless of marital status. It's quite badass. Their title reflects their professional status, not the presence of a husband now or in the past.

Ms is my title, and has always been (since 16). I use it when I'm asked. I don't get offended when people (frequently) get it incorrect, because, frankly, life is too short. Imagine going round in a continual state of cross, it would be like identifying as a TRA.

I’m a Ms and kept my name when I got married. Men get to do this by default so it was important that I did too.

I’m a Ms, it just feels like Miss is for little girls. Fair enough if you don’t feel that way. I’d never marry so i never need to change it although I’ve had work forms returned as I’d not put a previous name down, because as a Ms I’d obviously been married and taken my spouse’s name 🙄.

I don’t like fandoms using my first name as I’m quite prickly about over familiarity. Ms OftheEndless will do fine.

I think we should get rid of titles. I find Miss infantilising so don't use it (use Ms but I've never been married) but I don't have any problem with other women using it.

I’m a Miss. I’m 44, have been with my partner for 22 years and we have a huge 15yo son. I’m certainly not confused, or looking to somehow cling to my youth by the use of an archaic honorific, which is, quite frankly, an arsehole way of looking at it that perfectly encapsulates why I stubbornly stick with it in the first place, out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
Also, Miss Marple.

I married and changed surname because I preferred his, no other reason and it was nice to have the option.

Still have Mrs on my bank card and still use if I feel formal. Used Ms at work after husband died but often just used my initial and surname. I like the variety, use whatever

'I'm never going to be Mrs as I didn't change my name'.

I'm married, kept my name and am now Mrs......
I never liked Miss much and I dislike Ms from a completely phonetical point of view though I appreciate the equality. I just wish there was a better sounding version 😂 Maybe I'll go with Madame from on?!

In my above comment, I should clarify that I call people Ms unless I know they would prefer to be a Miss or Mrs! I'm not going to force my 70s-feminism-style title preferences on others!

At 16 I decided that I was going to start going by Ms on my 18th birthday, as I would legally be an adult at that point and I associated the title Miss with children.

Twenty years ago when I turned 18 I followed through with that plan. After marriage I did not take my husband's name and so I still have the same name and title as when I was 18.

In my profession people tend to use first names in emails. However, when more formality is called for, I always address women as Ms (unless they're a Dr or something). Likewise, people address me and my female colleagues as Ms over email before switching to first names.

I find Miss and Mrs to be quite old-fashioned terms. I'm astonished at how many friends I have who use these titles.

I believe that if you do go down the Miss/Mrs route, the convention is that you remain a Miss if you keep your surname upon marriage. So Cherie Blair is Miss Booth or Mrs Blair, depending on whether she is being addressed in a professional or personal capacity.

I find Mx to be pointless and unpronounceable. Quite frankly, I'd rather be a Miss than a little Mx.

The history of Miss and Mrs is fairly benign as far as I can work out. Both titles are diminutives of the word Mistress, as in the Mistress of the House. The lady of the house was Mrs and her daughters were Miss - the equivalents of Mr and Master. However, as boys grew older they all became Mr, whereas girls only became Mrs upon marriage.

In other European countries the terms Fraulein and Frau, Signorina and Signora, Mademoiselle and Madame developed along similar lines to Master and Mr. It does seem odd that in English-speaking countries we've made such a hash of something so simple!

I'm married. But I fluctuate between Ms and Miss and nobody official seems to care or notice. Is the title bit official anyway?

I'm never going to be Mrs as I didn't change my name but I do get assumed all the time. I use Miss out of habit (not married especially long) and Ms when I think about it.

Ms has nothing to do with your marital status per se. It certainly has nothing to do with being divorced!

It's a simple issue of sexual equality. Women are being asked to state something that men are not.

In their title men do not have to declare if they're married, women do by using miss or Mrs. By using Ms women are equal to men.

I have been Ms since I grasped this at school and still am now I'm married.

I tend to be flexible between Miss and Ms - depending on who I've told what. I think I renewed my passport under Ms, recently.

Refreshingly, the driver's licence in my (adopted) country just has my names - no title.

Not really fussed what gets used - Miss or Ms - but can't stand it when title gets defaulted to Mrs as that's my mother, not me! But as it's not used as an identifier, I'd also be happy if titles died completely.

I hate that I need to put my title usually relating to whether I'm married or not, but I can put 'prefer not to answer' when asked my sex.

Why the fuckity fuck is it important to know whether I'm married or divorced or just single???

Mrs. needs to die. Why are women expected to disclose their marital status and men aren't? It's incredibly sexist. All women should proactively reject tradition and use Ms. regardless of marital status.