What's your title?

[LorlieS]

I'm married.
I go by the title of Miss at work (primary teacher) and Ms everywhere else.
Hate it when people refer to me as Mrs S.
Nope - that's my mum!!!

Another Professor - always use Professor, in any context. If not available then - "Dr". Very rarely has it happened that neither Prof nor Dr available. In that rare instance - for example in a form - would select Ms.

But Prof or Dr.

Dr usually. I don't really mind Mrs though.

PMSL at PP "having a little smile" at the title Dr. What on earth is that about?

Whereas in the university where I work, the main criterion is being one of the boys.

It has improved somewhat due to a number of court cases but it's still desperate.

@deydododatdodontdeydo Which brings me back to the point; why would you find it preferable if both men and women's marital status was reflected in their title?

Oh my - I got luck with progression because I'm in a Business School - shedloads of students, desperate for people doing research - so there are many jobs and promotion is more rapid than in many other subject areas but have definitely worked in institutions where it was like visiting the 1970s. Wall to wall grumpy old men.

I suspect that while there may have been an element of luck in terms of ethos etc, you wouldn't have gotten there without being better than the men around you.

I love that there are posters asking "why do you care?". Er, because equality is a feminist issue and we're having a discussion about it on the feminist chat board?

I go by Dr and people can smile all they like at that, but the evidence is that men and women are treated differently, and until the day they are not, I will continue to use my gender neutral title.

@NeverTrustAPoliceman "I hate Ms with a passion."

Could I ask why?

I guess I just find it useful to know. Perhaps if it was more obvious when men were married they wouldn't sleaze around so much. I've seen men try and hide their wedding rings when talking to women who are not their wives. And then act embarrassed when exposed.
If their marital status was more apparent it might stop things like this.

DH and I are both (academic) doctors. We booked a flight once, maybe 10 years ago, and the website would only allow one 'Dr' title on the booking.

Because some people, like the PP, think that 'Dr' is egotistical, and that people shouldn't celebrate or acknowledge their achievements in life unlike the amazing achievement of snagging a man and going by 'Mrs'.

So women who choose to go by Mrs means they are shunning equality?

Because some people, like the PP, think that 'Dr' is egotistical, and that people shouldn't celebrate or acknowledge their achievements in life

Hopefully that poster is as amused by males using the titles they've worked to be entitled to?

I love that there are posters asking "why do you care?". Er, because equality is a feminist issue and we're having a discussion about it on the feminist chat board?

I care very much that women no longer have to have a title which is defined by their marital status. I just don't think that women should berate other women about their choice of title. I also seriously doubt that women's choice of title is much of a reflection of how equal or unequal their relationship is.

Yes, I do. In this particular instance.

Men have a title which does not show their marital status.
Women have a title which does show their marital status.
Therefore, they are not equal.
Therefore, if a woman chooses to use Mrs, they are not choosing equality.

I agree, and I hope that I didn't come across as berating anyone.

WOW!

Feminism is about women having the freedom to choose. If a woman is choosing this title, your convoluted ideas about that making her somehow unequal is actually contradictory to the idea of feminism altogether.

You are putting women into a box based on your opinions and effectively saying 'if you don't follow this trend, you aren't being a feminist.'

That is wild.

"Feminism is about women having the freedom to choose"

No, it isn't, that's a very shallow definition of feminism. How does that address women's subordinate position exactly?

Well said, DrSpartacular.

And remember, @AgateQ , "choices" are not made in a vacuum. They are influenced by many factors, some of which are anti-feminist.

Exactly. Feminism isn’t about validating individual women’s choices.

And yes, I would say that, in general, someone who chooses to be known by a title that differentiates women according to their marital status is not making a feminist choice.

And remember, @AgateQ, "choices" are not made in a vacuum. They are influenced by many factors, some of which are anti-feminist.

How incredibly patronising. I think women can be credited with the intelligence to make decisions based on how they feel rather than assuming these silly little women have been bullied by society either consciously or subconsciously into accepting a Mrs title. Again, I'd say this is an antifeminist stance.

Yes it is a simplistic definition, but one that is most relevant to this particular topic.
I don't view going by Mrs as a subordinate position to take. This title isn't forced upon anyone of us. I could go by Ms, if I so wished, but I don't like the sound of it. Quite that simple.

@Corondel

Exactly. Feminism isn’t about validating individual women’s choices.

Yet your individual choice to not use Mrs is valid?

I’m not asking for anyone to ‘validate’ my choice, though.

My choice is not to use a sex-specific title that differentiates women according to their relationship to a man. No such relational title exists to signal men’s sexual availability. It’s self-evidently a feminist decision.

Nor are women who use 'Mrs'