Ladies Views - Miss - Mrs - Ms?

[smudge]

Just listening to Radio 2 & they're discussing whether to phase out Miss or Mrs, in favour of Ms.

Personally, I've always been happy to be known as Mrs. However, if I were in the unfortunate situation of becoming divorced, I think I would revert back to my maiden name & be a Miss - not out of bitterness, but for ease. Also, both our children are married & no longer have 'nee' names!

What are your views/preferences ladies?

[eash]

I like Miss rather than Ms.

[hannahjo]

I prefer Miss. Also I've never been married, so would like the oppourtunity to become a Mrs at some point!!! I think Ms does sound maturer than miss, and so it sounds odd when given to a small kid!

[annavc]

Hi Smudge - I've been listening to that too.  Personally I don't really have a strong opinion on it.  I'm 29 and single, sometime I use Miss, sometimes I use Ms.  I think if I do ever get married I will probably be Mrs but probably also wouldn't mind if I was called Ms.  Its very much a personal choice I think - Ms can be useful if you don't want someone to know your status but then sometimes you want people to know you're single and so use Miss. 

[shaneystar]

Well smudge I am Mrs. but I would revert to being Ms.
I hate it when old boys shove past you in supermarkets and say "excuse me MISS" in a very load voice when it's perfectly obvious I am no longer 15 years old !!

[Lindylou]

I can't help feeling that it labels women even more.  i.e.  Miss = unmarried.  Mrs = married and Ms = Divorced.  Although as a 35 year-married woman I reckon I've earned the right to be called Mrs!  Anyway I don't like the sound of Mzzzzzzz.

[Robinia]

Oh I'll just keep the Lady Robinia thank you...;-)

I've been divorced for many years but have continued to be Mrs.  At one point I was going to go back to my maiden name but far from being easier I found it would have been a nuisance - especially at hospitals for example, where they know me & my file looks like War & Peace!

I don't really like Ms & so if I had to be anything else it would have to be Miss.

[xHeatherx]

I think whatever people want to prefix their surname with is fine! But I do make a point of prefering Miss instead of Ms and get quite annoyed when people call me Mrs!

I don't know if I'll ever become a Mrs but I'd rather have the option than staying a Ms!

[january_bug]

This is of particular interest to me having just sort of recently spent 6 months in Germany where any woman over the age of 16 or so is automatically Frau (instead of Fraulein) as Fraulein is seen as hugely insulting to a "woman" rather than a "girl".  Personally, I'd like my unmarried status to be clear, especially as it makes it easier for me in trying to establish a career. 

I follow, and agree with your logic Smudge... I would never want to be Ms.  It smacks of divorcee/spinster to me. 

I don't mind old men calling me "miss" and never will.  I don't like much about American culture, but calling strangers "Sir" and "Ma'am" is something I like because it shows respect and is polite.  Just saying "excuse me" isn't so polite, not that it's actually rude of course. 

I object to being a Mrs of course, but if I ever get married I will be a Mrs, not a Ms.  :-) 

[shaneystar]

Ah but would you like an elderly man calling you Miss in that supercilious way that some old buffers have,when you 57 years old january bug !!!

[january_bug]

I'll tell you that in 32 years time.  Until then, each to our own I'd have thought.   

I'd rather be "miss" than have people yelling "oi! missus" at me. 

[Jude123]

Hi I'm divorced and have always been known as Mrs. I think I prefer it to Ms. I expect that's because I'm quite old (sons 34 and 44) and I was a Mrs. long before Ms. came into being. Mind you I always ask the person I'm dealing with at work if they want to be known as Ms, Mrs.or Miss.

[january_bug]

Can I also just ask... HOW were Radio 2 proposing to phase out the use of Miss/Mrs?  Seriously, how can it be done?  Even if they started only putting Mr/Ms/Dr on forms, they have to put "other" as an option for all the Religious/Military types and we could just keep filling in "miss" or "mrs" depending on our preference. 

I realise it's only a debate, but it can't ACTUALLY be phased out I wouldn't have thought! :-p

[smudge]

Thankfully, it was a debate & hopefully not another piece of PC legislation to be introduced!

I can't see it happening in England, well not in my lifetime, but even if it did, I would buck the sytem & still insist on using Mrs or Miss - never Ms! 

I also like to hear the American's saying "Sir or Ma'am" too. It's been a pleasure to watch Judge Judy at times - she really knows how to get people to show respect!

[metagirl]

i think "Ms" is more common in the USA., where "Miss" is really only used for young single women in their teens or very early 20's or very old women who've never married. "Ms". is used for divorcees, but also career-minded women who would feel that "Miss" is degrading. In the UK, "Miss" is not necessarily demeaning, so is used more to signify their single status.

When i was in the US, I would alternate between "Miss" and "Ms" (and I was in my early 20's). In business, if you didn't know the marital status of the female you would put "Ms" - never "Miss"!  Also, some women did not prefer to go buy "Mrs", so you'd always put "Ms" in correspondence just in case!

[nicola_red]

I'm single and use Miss.  I've noticed some organisations make me a Ms automatically and I don't really like it.  I understand the thinking behind it, but I have no problems with people knowing I'm not married - it's not a secret.  I do hope to get a PhD one day and then I'll insist on Dr at all times! :-)

[maggie01]

I am a Mrs and have been for long time. I often get mail addressed to Ms. I would much rather they just called me by my name with no prefix

[mullein2]

well i am a mrs..if i was divorced then i would like to be ms..mr m calls me the lady of the house..

[kaktus]

In Denmark we don't use mrs, miss or ms (the Danish equivalents of course) anymore. The only ones who do, is the odd one out and they are always over 80 :0)

If I ever moved to the UK I think I would prefer ms, as I've always percieved mrs. as belonging to the husband and having his name. As I do not plan to change my name when married I wouldn't like to be called mrs. I don't know if I have gotten something wrong here, feel free to shout if I have.

I always feel weird when abroad and someone calls me miss, ms or ma'am. I'm always surprised they're talking to me as I'm not used to it :)

[smudge]

When I was at work & writing a letter to a woman, but didn't know her status, I would phone her first to find out, but if I wasn't able to do that, I would then type Ms.

When we were on a fly drive holiday in America, most of the staff called me Ma'am, which I didn't mind at all.

[smudge]

Also, the only thing I've never liked about the marital status, is when I've received letters addressed to me reading: Mrs, then my husband's first name, then my married surname - say for instance Mrs Fred Bloggs, now I think that is so sexist!