To think its time to get rid of personal titles ie. Miss, Mrs, Ms?

[jumpingbean1810]

I was ordering something in a shop the other day and the assistant, in her 20s, was putting my details into their system. She said, I hate asking this, I find it so embarrassing but are you Miss, Ms or Mrs? I replied I'm Miss. I was there with my daughter so in that one exchange I'd divulged I was a single, unmarried parent. It's not information the shop needs for me to order a lamp. And if I was a man, they'd be Mr and none the wiser as to marital status. I know I could say Ms but does any married woman really use Ms? So Ms just ends up sounding like a Miss with issues. It got me thinking why do we need personal titles, how often are they really used anyway? Can they not just be scrapped from form filling? With the increasing desire by the younger generation to not even be defined by gender, identifying women by their marital status feels so outdated. It's international women's day tomorrow and in the spirit of embracing equity, isn't it time we abolished women being defined by marital status?

Agree with you 100%. This has irked me for years, just not necessary.

Why is Ms a Miss with issues? Would you say a divorced Mrs is also a Miss with issues?
Ms is the Mr equivalent to my mind. I think non-binary can use Mx.

You could also say why do people use title of Dr when it's not in a professional capacity as well.

It annoys me too but I don't think the answer is to get rid of titles.

The answer is for 'Ms' to become the only option for women, like 'Mr' for men. For this to happen, more women like you need to adopt it and decide to use it.

I'm married and I use it unapologetically. I don't think it makes people think I have 'issues'.

You weren’t divulged as being single, you could have a wonderful partner and father for your child and still be unmarried.

I agree with you that Ms sounds like she has issues.

I use Ms (I'm married, but kept my surname). So can't use Mrs as it's my mums name

I didn't take my ex-husband's name when we got married and remained a Miss. so Miss doesn't always mean single or unmarried. I think we should do away with it too though along with the expectation a woman takes her husband's name on marriage. Patriarchal nonsense.

I am not non-binary. I don't use Mx except here which started as a response to a similar thread some years ago. I do use Ms but have been infuriated to find people assume it means "divorced". I've used it since I was 18 (I'm 61 now). It is nobodies business what my marital status is.

I use ms and I’m married. What are the issues? It’s a straightforward - marital status isn’t relevant

Why does Ms sound as if somone has 'issues'?

What sort of issues?

Google: Ms (pronounced [miz]) is a neutral option that doesn't indicate any particular marital status. It's most commonly used for older unmarried women and for women whose marital status you don't know, but you can use it for any adult woman

But some people like Mrs?

We need to keep them because we need to be able to address people formally in some circumstances.

But Ms for women could be the default until someone is corrected.

I've been a Ms since my 20's, through marriage, divorce etc. Really don't see the problem here.

I always think the French way is much more sensible - you are Madame Surname as an adult and Mademoiselle as a child.

we have accepted Mr means all adult men, I don’t know why we couldn’t start a campaign for Mrs to not be a marker of marriage status, just to show you are an adult.

I use the Mrs prefix. I changed my name when I married so I would have the same family name as my children. Miss Fucket is the names of my DDs and if I am being formally addressed then Mrs Fucket would be me.

I do think their ought to be a more distinguishable prefix for single men and boys though as we have 3 Mr Fuckets and you couldn’t tell them apart.

does any married woman really use Ms?

Yes, I do. I’ve noticed lots of others too. I wish it was just Ms or Mr.

I use Ms and am happily married

Don't see what "issues" I'm meant to have

I’m married and have always used Ms. I think of it as the female equivalent of Mr- it doesn’t indicate whether I’m married or not.

Well that's why I said the answer isn't to ban Mrs.

When I say Ms will become the only option, I mean it would happen organically over a long time as more and more people adopt it. Mrs would eventually be phased out simply because people stop choosing it.

How many men do you know who would choose a title that gives away their marital status over 'Mr'?

It shoudn't be the norm. There's nothing wrong with liking and using it, but the only reason people do is because of a messed up society which favours men. It shouldn't be that way and the goal should be that in future generations we try to phase it out for the sake of equality.

YANBU. Why can't it just be Mr & Ms?

I use Miss because it sounds young and fun. 😂

Also agree with PP about Doctors needing to declare their title in a non-professional capacity. Who cares?

Totally disagree with you about being judged as a single unmarried parent. In this day and age you can be married and retain your unmarried status.

I'm proud to be a Mrs and don't want to lose my title, each to their own.

I use Ms and I also use it for my young child. I refuse to use Miss or Mrs.

Yes, why not just Firstname Lastname?

Personal titles and pronouns are unnecessary.

Agree, it’s utterly pointless.
I did not start using Mrs when I got married. I don’t think a woman’s marital status should have anything to do with her title.
If someone desperately wants others to know they are married I’m sure there’s plenty of other ways they could do it

I don't mind if I someone addresses me as Ms or Mrs. I don't wear a wedding ring for health reasons. I use to feel odd about that but now I think it is no one else's business.
My DD (19) uses MX. Generation Z are damm fiesty.