Would you get rid of the titles "Miss" and "Mrs" and use just "Ms" if you could?

[peppaistired]

I would like to campaign somewhere about this. I don't see the point in having so many titles around for women, and only one and simple for men: "Mr"
After all, why should people or society care if we're married, or single? They don't seem to care in the case of men, why is there still an issue with women's marital status?

I use Ms for myself, though some people don't understand what it means, and others assume that it means Miss. I use it anyway. I once affronted someone terribly because I wrote to her as "Ms", and she wrote back a long speel about how she was married and wanted that to be acknowledged!

I absolutely echo the consensus

I love those websites that give you a huge range

But the reality is, you can't choose. You can't go around calling yourself Mr if you're female and I don't know of any not-yet-married women who call themselves Mrs - or indeed any married ones who still use Miss. It's not a choice you make freely, it's a choice you make on marriage and on divorce.

And yy to those who have said the 'I love my husband and am proud to be married" argument doesn't really stack up unless men also change their titles on marriage, which they don't.

Oh god this tired one again. Seriously is this and hairy legs all that can be discussed on this board?

No I wouldn't support. Because who are you to tell me, also an educated woman, who I am or how I should define and what I may call myself? It's none of your damn business.

If you are an unmarried woman of a "certain age", or with a child, people call you Mrs regardless.

You can call yourself anything you want - of course you can. Try it and see what happens. Clue: nothing.

I'm very happily married and proud of my husband and married status.
I don't need British Gas to know that though.
Yours
Ms Seriously

I think it's good that I have a choice and can call myself whatever I want, so no I wouldn't support this.

I ignore the title box on forms if I can, and have been Ms since I was about 18. I used to choose 'Miss' for my dds, thinking that was ok, because it was about age rather than marital status - the equivalent of 'Master' for boys. It has recently occurred to me (duh!) that 'Master' is never actually presented as an option, so they're now 'Ms's too.

I have an irrational dislike of the word "ms" and would refuse to use it on those grounds

I can't really explain why - it just sounds ugly: "mizzz "

I would be happy to see them all go - I don't see the point of titles at all. If Ms isn't available as an option, I choose Mr.

yes, and I do already

Yes.

"I have an irrational dislike of the word "ms" and would refuse to use it on those grounds

I can't really explain why - it just sounds ugly: "mizzz ""

What unlike the incredibly euphonious "missus"

"it just sounds ugly"

are "missus" "miss" and "mister" especially attractive words? not really. they're just words and very similar to "miz". i don't really buy that as an explanation. people just like tradition as said above

i wouldn't bother with any gender signifying title if i could. in reality it would take years to get away from due to current conventions re politeness of address (not using first name unless instructed). but a gender-neutral term would still allow that

It's a shame that Ms does sound so horrible - so stuck up and like a bee on 'e'. However, that's what I use because it isn't anyone's business whether I am married or not. I'd happily do away with all titles or use Mrs if it became the equivalent of Mr (ie an adult, married or not).

No titles would be best.

I'm actually disgusted that we still have a system that implies marital status is relevant for women but not for men, when there are no acceptable reasons for thinking it is. I don't think we should keep a choice, because as long as there is a choice, there is an implication society-wide that the option you choose is significant.

You can't separate out the existence of these three choices from the continuation of sexist attitudes.

Being proud to be married is one thing, but why should every woman in society have to tolerate the implications of having three titles for women, just so some women can show they are proud to be married?

If it is really important to someone, they could write (married) after their name.

Also not sure why you'd be comfortable with the idea that your title should show you're proud to be married when your husband's doesn't.

Chunderella yes, absolutely - I've used Ms since I was about 18, before, during and after marriage. But Mrs and Miss aren't so freely chosen. Sorry, I didn't word that as well as I should have done.

I wouldn't get rid of titles. I just don't see the point. What difference does it make if someone knows whether I'm married or not? If being unmarried or married are equal, what's the issue?

I do use the title 'Master' for boys though (until the age of about 16), and would probably use 'Ms' (even though like others have said, it's an awful word) for an unmarried woman over the 18ish.

I really don't understand why titles is worthwhile getting worked up about.

If I were designing a form, I'd be tempted to list titles as 'Mr (married), Mr (unmarried) Mr (none of your business), Mrs, Miss, Ms' and see the reaction.

Though in reality I just don't bother with a title box and just use one box for 'name' so people who care about titles can be addressed as Dear (boxcontents).

And another thing - the only reason Ms sounds like it does is because one has to go, "No, it's Mzzzzzz," because otherwise people say, "Oh, Miss?"

I just don't get the issues with the sound being ugly. Someone always says that on threads where this issue comes up. I am from the southern US. Many of us have been pronouncing Mrs. as Miz for centuries. Is it the "z" sound people have trouble with or don't like? So "Liz" and "fizz," are they a bit grating, too?

No, I would not want to get rid of the title Mrs - I like it, and it means something to me.

I am glad that there are a number of options available for women - I have my preference, but I don't think my choice should be forced onto anyone else - Mrs is right for me, but if someone else chooses Miss or Ms, then that choice should be respected.

I respect other women's right to choose a different title, but would like to be given the same respect and choice.

You can't separate out the existence of these three choices from the continuation of sexist attitudes.

Exactly.

If being unmarried or married are equal, what's the issue?

The issue to me is that having titles which announce marital status imply that it is relevant and important, specifically regarding women. Otherwise, why have them? The origins of the tradition are not about women having a choice. Until relatively recently there was no 'Ms', so women had to show their marital status.

A man is Mr no matter what, which implies he is an independent unit. Women were Miss or Mrs because their status was defined in terms of their relation to a man. Miss or Mrs indicated whether you were the legal property of your father or your husband...the origin of 'who gives this woman to be married to this man..'.