PhD confusion

[slapcabbage]

I've just finished my PhD but I'm having a family dispute about what to call myself.
I started under my maiden name and got married halfway through. I changed everything, passport, bank etc to my new name except at uni where I kept my maiden name because I already had publications in that name.
So I'm Dr maiden name but am I Dr married name too? DH says not and that I am Mrs married name even though he gets to use Dr on everything by virtue of never having been daft enough to change names.
Any clever mumsnetters out there with PhD's know the answer?

EB - I'm with you on this. I worked and did my PhD part-time (think you have to be a tad insane to do this ) and like your dh I don't use it on a daily basis because it isn't relevant (mine was in Lit, I work in IT...) DP as an academic uses his all the time, but so does my brother (and he's a barrister...)

fennel- really - wow! what area? yep applying from Psychology (using it with autism- so makes more sense). CA all completely new to me (having been a Biologist).

I don't know about impressing checkout girls (been one myself- can't say it ever impressed me), but I have found it useful when dealing with the LEA/health authority/MP etc concerning ds1 (severely autistic)), It helps them to realise that I'm not "just" a mother with an unrealistic,ignorant image of my son and that I have the education to use the system to deliver whatever ds1 is legally entitled to (shouldn't be the way it is, but it is). I think that says more about them than me.

In a similar vein dh dropping into conversation that he is a solicitor sometimes aids negotiations with bodies such as the LEA.

Your friend was obviously lucky to have someone to support her in her fulfilment.

It wasnt like that for me, ive literally spent blood sweat and tears on mine..I also worked continuously in extra jobs to pay my way throughout all my studies so personally i do feel i earnt it.

As for your single mum argument, yes thats hard and they may often be unjustly treated but i dont see how that relates to this??

Not sure exactly what your point is except that we shouldn't treat people unfairly but as i said before how is that related to your title, thats a personality thing??

oh god yes, the tears....totally empathy....

I also much prefer being a Dr than a Mrs (or Miss). I've never felt like a Ms. I did have a friend who insisted on Ms (with a PhD) but because she wanted to make a feminist statement.

Sorry, I haven't read the whole thread. First of all congrats to you Dr Slapcabbage! I assume when you say you've finished your Ph.D that you've been viva-ed and told that your now a Dr, or have you graduated?
Anyway, convention among my peers (and people who are still in academe, unlike myself) is generally to be Dr Maiden Name because that's the name they published under (as you yourself did) and to be Mrs Married Name. I do know of one exception, but she's now divorced, so is now Dr Maiden Name again.
What's your Ph.D in by the way?

Grrr - I'm a scientist working in the pharmaceutical industry.

I must say I don't quite get why it's only OK to use it if you are still a medic or academic (or related field). No one at work would ever call me DR x, they call me by my first name.

However my business cards and email signature have PhD on (company standard).

I also don't get why it is never questioned when a medic usies their title day-to-day but people have opinions about using their PhD/DPhil title daily.

Yep, when someone asks you in that antiquated way whether you are Mrs or Miss you can just say Dr. It saves fuffing around with ms, mizz, mzzz etc.

When I wrote "your", of course I meant "you're". Aaaargh! I can't believe it....

I used Dr at work when I'm speaking at a large conference or being quoted by the press or something, but I don't really bother otherwise.

Yes, but your friends gave a good reason not to use it on a plane. Not anywhere else! You're adding the psychoanalysis.

I'm thinking projection

There are far too many PhD's on here. An obvious consequence of a doctorate is an inability to apply oneself to what you really should be doing. This skill is acquired whilst writing up one's thesis

And somewhere else too DrDaddy?

Oh Grrr come back to the grammar school thread and put your Grrrrumpiness to good use over there - we all know David Cameron reads MN so we might be able to convince him to change his mind!

I'm not saying that putting together an 80,000 word thesis isn't an achievement.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or some other such peak is also an achievement and I bet lots of people have to push themselves to stick it out and complete the task, however much they enjoy fresh air and physical challenges.

Gratuitous use of the title "Dr" is not forbidden if you have obtained a PhD.

It comes down to applying discretion with regards the appropriateness of the circumstances and situation at the end of the day.

My sister is a medic and my Dad's a retired academic, so we have 3 doctors in the family. My sister always maintains she's the real doctor at which point I brandish my 120,000 thesis and say, "Ahem..." My brother's out-done us all though: he's now a Scottish Laird!!

beckybrastraps - yes, well obviously I thought I'd lord my Dr title over the other dads.

Congratulations, Dr Slap or Dr Cabbage.

Slight hijack but has anyone been filling in their details on a form on the web lately and come across one of those drop-down lists which has about 40 different possible titles, including 'His honour' and 'The Very Reverend'?
Am always tempted to put something very bizarre and pretend I clicked on it by mistake....

slapcabbage - did you think your initial post would lead to nigh on 100 responses!?

There are far too many PhD's on here. An obvious consequence of a doctorate is an inability to apply oneself to what you really should be doing. This skill is acquired whilst writing up one's thesis

• hmm that applies to me more than I care to admit !

Grrr. I use my title because I am bloody proud of having managed to achieve it. I worked full-time as a lecturer while doing the PhD in my spare time. Nevertheless, I completed in three years. In that time I also managed to give birth to DS2.

I use it now because it means something in the academic circles that I move in. If they ever give me a professorship, I will use Professor.

I don't think this is snobbism or looking down on other people. It is part of my, an essential part of who I am and what I have achieved.

It is also a reassurance to my students that I know what I am talking about! And no, I don't think that my subject was a particularly useful one (women's correspondence to newspapers) but it meant something in my field and I did enjoy doing it. (With regard to your friend who enjoyed her PhD, if you don't enjoy it, in my experience, you will never finish it).

Yes. I always fancied Monsignor myself! My brother has just got his Australian passport and he is "Laird" on that...stupid arse.

Yes - just like seeing doctor there. I do hate it when it's not (sorry Grrr). I am not Miss, Mrs, or Ms. Maybe if I were a bloke I wouldn't be bothered about usig my title.

There are far too many PhD's on here. An obvious consequence of a doctorate is an inability to apply oneself to what you really should be doing. This skill is acquired whilst writing up one's thesis

Hummm even cleaning the bath used to more inviting that doing the bl**dy footnotes....