To find "Mrs" in a work email signature a bit cringe

[Whyohwhyohwhy26]

Just that really, is this a new thing or I'm just noticing it more nowadays that some female colleagues have Mrs first name last name on their email signatures where the norm is just names + job title etc. I've never seen a male colleague's email signature be "Mr X" and i'd find that equally odd to be honest. Unless it's a professional title like Dr or Professor AIBU to think putting your personal title in an email signature a bit cringe ?

Why do you need to know? Just address them by their first and surname or if you really need a title, use the generic Ms.

@oviraptor21 Because most women like to declare their marital status to all and sundry. In essence.

This is why I do it. I hate it but I hate getting “Dear Mr…” more! I may even be slightly more annoying as I use Ms 🙄 (separated eons ago and we’ve never bothered divorcing, but kept married name because of children)

Haven’t seen it and won’t be lose sleep over it!
don’t look at the pronouns either on email signatures….and not offended by it!

I’ve never seen this. Did find it cringe when my Head of Function used to insist
in signing off emails as Dr….

She had an “honorary” doctorate from a religious institution overseas because of her agenda pushing, sorry DEI work.

@MrsFitzgeraldWilliams , etiquette.

I agree. Ive seen it and have NEVER even considered it might be an issue. It makes it clear how to address that person. I think its strange that pronouns are now accepted but titles not so.
I have been in education and recently a lot of emails as a parent/carer so maybe seeing the staffs names a s Mr or Mrs Ms etc makes it feel more common than most people.

TBF pronouns signatures can be controversial too!

Interesting. How so?

Personally I find it bizarre and sexist that women's titles denote their marital status - as part of their title. The form of your name defined by marriage? That seems weird to me.

I find it quite inappropriate, really, for people's marital status to be part of their work identity. No one would sign or address anything to Married Jane Smith, and yet that is what Mrs does.

I have been Ms since I was 14, which simply denotes me as female. Which isn't really necessary as part of my name either . If we need titles I would [refer we all became Citizen.

But pragmatically, if I had a non-gendered first name I would put Ms rather than She/Her.

It sounds like etiquette from the 1800’s version of the Ladies’ Home Journal or something. The sort that gave advice on how many petticoats a young lady ought to be wearing, and how to entertain one’s beau in the front parlour whilst being chaperoned by Great-Aunt Martha.

@MrsFitzgeraldWilliams , you’re probably quite a bit younger than me and this was what I was taught growing up. I was also taught that if my dear husband were to pass away I would no longer be Mrs myhusbandsinitial, hubbyssurname but would become Mrs myeldersonsinitial, myeldersonssurname senior. I think it all harks back to who the woman belongs to and who is responsible for her and is the reason a bride is given away by her father to her new husband. You may think it rather old fashioned but it is proper etiquette for those of us who choose to still follow convention.

@Icanthinkformyselfthanks I'd be surprised if many women genuinely believe they "belong" to their husbands and that their husbands are "responsible" for them.
I'm 45 and I most definitely don't!
Surely you are an individual in your own right?
My dad didn't give me away either.

The Married Women's Property Act was the 1880s. I'm pretty confident none of us here is that old.

I thought that one went from Miss Jane Brown to Mrs John Smith on marriage and then Mrs Jane Smith on widowhood. I'm not aware of anyone taking on their son's name, though I'm not going to check Debrett's right now.

I'll say...it's cringey

One english colleague one explained the use of titles in signatures to me (not english) the following way (this is outside teaching, and tongue in cheek!):

Miss xyz : single and desperate
Mrs xyz: married and keen to talk about it
Ms xyz: marriage status is none of your business, but don’t dare to address a mail “Good morning gents”

In general, i found it quite accurate

I like it! Yeah sounds quite accurate, and I am a Ms!

What generation do you come from? This certainly wouldn’t have been the case in mu grandparents’ generation, let alone my parents’ or my generation.

I’ve literally never heard of anyone taking their eldest son’s initial.

Anyway, you might want to contact the Guinness Book of World Records as you’re clearly the oldest woman currently alive.

Yeah that post is completely wrong.

On death of the husband the woman does not change her name, although some women of my Grandmothers generation (she was born in 1919) went from Mrs John Smith to Mrs Jane Smith which was understood to mean that she was a widow.

Widows, with or without sons, were always their own "owners". Thats why so many widowed women in history didnt want to remarry because they were the only women allowed to own property and will it on in their own names. No women have ever been expected to change their name to reflect the eldest sons.

Me too, but that's the only time.

You couldnt be more wrong.

No one "owned" a widowed woman. I dont know who told you this but this didnt hold true ever during history.

Honestly, I find it a bit odd. I work in the NHS and half the doctors and surgeons don’t even bother having Dr/Mr/Ms in their titles. And almost everyone goes by first names. Some of the medical secretaries might address the medical staff as say Dr/Mr/Mrs but I can’t think of anyone who uses the title themselves.

@EBearhug , no even I’m not that old. 😂
It is my understanding that on widowhood you assume the title of Mrs then your son’s initial, your son’s surname senior (assuming he is married). These are all quite antiquated conventions now I suppose.

I don’t think it was ever a convention! At least not in the UK.