AIBU - use of ‘Dr’ title - is this normal?!

[Cheesecake45]

Just not sure if I need to get with the times or not - is it normal to go by the title ‘Dr’ simply for having a PhD, if you aren’t in the medical profession? I’m talking one of the easiest PhDs to get (comparatively speaking), nothing vaguely linked to medicine.

AIBU??
YES = this is totally normal get over yourself
NO = wouldn’t be caught dead calling myself a doctor unless I could be assistance in a medical emergency!

You can't change reality just because you don't like it.

'Simply for having a PhD'.

Do you realise the effort involved in actually being awarded a PhD?
You first have to complete at least an Honours Degree (generally a 2:1 or above) before you can even consider starting a PhD. The PhD itself then involves around 3 years of novel research/study, followed by a few months writing up a thesis and then completing a viva (oral exam) which lasts at least an hour (often longer). You're often expected to also write research papers, present at relevant meetings, and even teach undergraduate students.
After that you are fully entitled to call yourself Dr!

But isn't that just because, day to day, people don't generally use any title? I'm hardly ever called "Ms", it's just on the occasional form. And if a form asked for my title, I'd put dr if I had a PhD.
But anyone who insisted on it day to day I would think was weird, just like if someone in my personal life insisted I address them as "Mr Smith" or "Miss Jones".

They're not medical doctors, they have earned the title doctor of philosophy though.

Actually I do find it a bit odd to call yourself doctor if it's not a medical degree or unless you are in a professional setting. I've worked with a lot of PhD holders in, physics, engineering and chemistry and they have mostly only ever called themselves doctor when attending conferences, not in everyday settings. Although they do use their letters after their names in emails ect.

The Dr eradicates the female title so yes I use it. It's surprising how less dickish people like estate agents and on one occasion a gp receptionist are when you use a Dr title instead of miss or Mrs.

Also work in higher education where we are pretty much all Dr's or profs so it's just a description of your education level.

For posters who think it is 'showing off' to use the 'Dr' title: is it also 'showing off' to use 'Mrs'? If not, why not? Some people love to devalue the educational achievements of others, especially women's hard-earned qualifications.

Medics use it as a courtesy - hence why surgeons etc are called "Mr x".

Thats not true. It comes from the days when surgery was not considered an honourable profession.

Being obsessed with anything, whether you've earned it or not indicates a big ego. It's not about being 'allowed' to do so.
Creative writing was simply to allow people to identify the post. It doesn't matter if it was in nuclear physics or some other supposedly 'hard' PhD.

Also.. a lot of things in life are hard but don't result in a title. My PhD was difficult but literally not THE most difficult thing that I've done. I don't need kudos, extra respect or whatnot from strangers, for it.

Absolutely normal. People with doctorates can call themselves Dr.

Nothing cringy about it at all.

Most medical doctors graduate with a Bachelor degree -BMBS - Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, the title Dr is an honorary one, although very well deserved obviously. A PhD is a Doctorate of Philosophy. The word doctor derives from the latin docere which means to teach.

Most of the time though it is no one's business what my title is and those people who insist on having a title are the ones in the wrong. I prefer people just use my first name but I definitely do not define my title by my relationship to a man.

I don't go around introducing myself as Dr Smithing. I work in research and the general feeling is that if you work in research everyone has a PhD and if you don't work in research no one cares if you have a PhD, so in either case it doesn't matter.

However, Dr is my official title. That's what you get with a PhD. So if I'm asked in official forms, I put Dr. If a title is optional, then I don't put one. But if it's mandatory, or people insist in knowing, then I'm a Dr. I'm not going to pretend that I'm not. (And I do feel this is gendered. Women seem to agonise over not seeming boastful much more than men.)

More broadly, the word doctor is from the Latin “docere” meaning "to teach." Academic doctorates predate medical doctors by centuries. It's not a case of people with PhDs latching on to a title that wasn't originally theirs to make themselves look good.

I was out with a friend who when asked "Miss or Mrs?", said "It's Dr actually". Half of me thought "you go girl!" and the other half was cringing. I'd have just mumbled "Miss" but that's why I'm not PhD material!

I'd ignore you if you refused to use my title- what a complete lack of respect.

Eerm, yes they do.

Also for those who don't know, a couple, both with PhDs are addressed as 'the Drs'. Instead of 'Mr and Mrs Jones' it would be 'the Drs Jones'.

Lots of people showing don't understand the degree system.

Which is ironic since there have never been more people with degrees in the UK.

"You sound like someone who went to university but didn't pay attention" was a favourite insult of a long former boss who had 2 doctorates.

Anyone mentioned that Oxford issue D. Phils rather than PhDs ?

For the record, some countries award a MD in medicine. That qualification is a doctorate and they are doctors, both in terms of earned title and medical doctor.

Yes, I use my PhD at work where is it relevant. But not outside work. I'm very proud of it though, I worked very hard for it for years.

My dh is a GP and never uses Dr outside of work. Says he thinks it's pretentious and unnecessary. He only uses it when buying plane tickets in case a doctor is required on the flight.

One of my best friends though has her titles on her bank cards and she's Rev Dr. She did a pg qualification in theology before her PhD, and also has an undergraduate law degree and a master's in Social work!

Respect?

That is what I have. But perhaps the OP would consider it ‘one of the easy doctorates’…

I know someone with a PhD in creative writing. It certainly took work but it was essentially writing a novel with some mentoring and teaching. Not easy by any means but arguably quite a bit easier than writing a novel that gets a traditional publishing contract with no mentoring, while teaching, which is the norm for many writers.

Surgeons, who are doctors, call themselves Mr.
In academia, the use of dr for those with a PhD is normal.
Ignore the haters, @Cheesecake45 , they are ignorant of such social structures, so show their ignorance by suggesting it is pretentious.

@pensione your ignorance on many levels is showing, dear.