Ms, Mrs, Mr

[Keepitonthedownlow]

Why don't we just put these in email signatures? Is it not the same as pronouns? Why is this considered old fashioned, and the other progressive?

I'd prefer to put Ms than she/her etc, but why do I need to do any of that?

Why bother? Who cares about titles? They are old fashioned and unnecessary.

Just get rid of all of them. I am married but just use Ms if i have to choose one. Mrs seems old fashioned - what does it matter it most circumstances if I am married. Men are Mr whether they are married or not.

I work at an international, multi-ethnic company and no one has used Mr & etc for years and years. One person I know (and I see thousands of email signatures every week) has inserted a title after last name. An older gentleman, born in Bangalore. Everyone else gets mistaken for the opposite sex from time to time, but it doesn’t matter in office work..,

Fair point - I'd prefer to pronouns.

My only reservation is the Ms / Mrs divide. I wish we'd moved on like the French and Germans to have just one title for adult human females.

I don't see why we need to. It doesn't benefit women at all.

I guess it seems old-fashioned because increasingly people are called by their first name in workplaces. I'm not sure what this really has to do with pronouns really.

Because Ms/Mrs/Miss for women versus Mr for men is patriarchal? Why should we use these titles? Or are you being goady?

I do put my title (Dr - I have a PhD in chemistry, and yes - it is directly relevant to my job) in my email signature. It’s also advantageous to not advertise the fact that I’m female, and I will vehemently resist any attempt to coerce me into sharing this information.

I enjoy the richness of the variety and choice of titles. Seems a shame to me that we have lost master because it has the same shortening as Mr. I am not sure why something being long-standing means it needs to be ousted and branded as “old-fashioned”. There are plenty of times in my life when titles are used or I enjoy using them. I understand the patriarchy point, but I am much more interested in changing the attitudes, than seeking to shame people out of using normal language. Change the attitudes, but allow the language to be brought with us if people (like me) want it and enjoy using it. Develop more choices if that seems desireable.

I don't use a title unless pressed.

For almost all purposes in business, nobody has any need to know my sex. The worst that will happen is I might be misgendered behind my back. This will have (or should have) absolutely zero impact on anyone.

The last time we had this on MN it was said that we already have one title for women and it’s Ms.

I do not use this . My name is first name, surname and that is that.

@Mxflamingnoravera

Why bother? Who cares about titles? They are old fashioned and unnecessary.

I tend to agree, but it is hard when one wishes to be somewhat formal (company paperwork, following up from an email enquiry) and you're left guessing someone's sex, preferred title or writing a formal letter addressed to a first name or first name / surname.

@ArabellaScott

I don't use a title unless pressed.

For almost all purposes in business, nobody has any need to know my sex. The worst that will happen is I might be misgendered behind my back. This will have (or should have) absolutely zero impact on anyone.

Well, it could negatively affect a man who is assumed to be a woman. Please think of the men!

I know a man who has a very feminine first name and uses it, like “Sue Jones (Mr)”. Seems reasonable to me, I expect he just got sick of people expecting him to be a woman. But that doesn’t mean everyone should have to do the same, as with pronouns.

No one needs to know what sex I am in a work context, so I'm not going to go round announcing it.

I am not suggesting that these were good times. I think I still believe that early Christianity (and early Islam) strengthened women’s position

Oh fuck wrong thread! Sorry.

Men are Mr. No clues or assumptions about marital status/ sexual availability. Age, what sort of person etc.

Women were miss/ Mrs. Plenty of clues and assumptions.

Feminists years ago said let's have it balanced.

Mr/ms.

Lots of women didn't like that though esp with Mrs.

So there's 3. All with even more assumptions and different meanings.

Ms to some means divorced. To others means hairy angry feminist.

So even more assumptions about what sort of person you are!

A man who works at Girlguiding headquarters and who, I like to think, is resisting Pronouns, has Mr Firstname Lastname as his email signature. He's the only one I have ever come across tbh.

And women get called by the wrong names all the time.

So many threads on here.

Unmarried woman with children called Mrs hisname.

Ms changed to miss/ Mrs at random.

Etc etc

That's trivial though not like pronouns.

Even though many women get called completely the wrong name!

I would prefer no titles at all (which generally are about position in society/ job/ social class.

And everyone be they/ them for simplicity.

It categorises women as:

Single
Married
Feminist / Probably divorced / bitter hag

It categorises men as:

Men.