[quote MrsToothyBitch]@catspyjamas123 you may be right on that but that has not been my personal experience. I grow up in and still live in an "urban"/commuter belt area, stones throw from London with plenty of other young professionals. People call themselves what they like- plenty of "miss"es.
A lot of my London socialising is done with people who come up to town from the country to do so or split their time though (or spend it in a club on Pall Mall). I definitely know some husband hunters. I can ask them if they're merely in it for the money and possible titles as I'd assumed, if you like- or whether their motivation is to avoid the villagers back home chucking them in the river to see if they float?[/quote]
MrsToothyBitch, I am just going to give you massive props here for coming back and engaging and explaining your point of view. It's really interesting. This is what I love Mumsnet for - passionate debate about different ways of being.
The name and title thing is SO divisive.
For me, it is honestly quite unbearable to think of being inferior to my husband to such a degree that I would have to submit to dropping my own name on marriage - it just feels exactly like Offred in The Handmaid's Tale. (In fact, I don't know why so many people are like 'oh the offred thing is SO AWFUL when they do the same thing - signify themselves as Mrs to show they belong to a man, and then go under his name - Mrs DHname).
BUT, clearly I am if not alone, in a minority. So many people - strong, educated, professional women - I know are absolutely delighted to do this and get right on it at the wedding reception. It's definitely still very normal and indeed the most likely practice. I would never be so rude as to ask someone in real life why, nor do people ask me why I have not done it (although definitely get the uppity side eye).
Anyway, it is very nice to hear your unvarnished view and thanks for sharing it.