'I'm a single mum and I hate Miss and Mrs titles - they should be banned'
A mum has sparked a fierce debate after questioning why women's titles like Miss, Mrs and Ms are really necessary - as men can just be referred to as 'Mr', regardless of their marital status.
The issue was brought to her attention when she was buying a lamp and was asked by the cashier for her details. Visibly uncomfortable, the young woman asked the single mum what her 'title' was, and she was baffled as to why she was even asked when she was simply making a purchase.
The woman was so annoyed she took to Mumsnet to share her frustration and she sparked a lively conversation.
The woman was left wondering why the shop needed to know her title (Stock Image) (Getty Images/Tetra images RF)She wrote: "I was ordering something in a shop the other day and the assistant, in her 20s, was putting my details into their system. She said, I hate asking this, I find it so embarrassing but are you Miss, Ms or Mrs? I replied I'm Miss. I was there with my daughter so in that one exchange I'd divulged I was a single, unmarried parent. It's not information the shop needs for me to order a lamp.
"And if I was a man, they'd be Mr and none the wiser as to marital status. I know I could say Ms but does any married woman really use Ms? So Ms just ends up sounding like a Miss with issues. It got me thinking why do we need personal titles, how often are they really used anyway? Can they not just be scrapped from form filling?
‘Dear Jacinda Ardern - can you ever forgive me for my post-feminist cynicism?’
"With the increasing desire by the younger generation to not even be defined by gender, identifying women by their marital status feels so outdated."
She then mentioned International Women's Day, adding: "In the spirit of embracing equity, isn't it time we abolished women being defined by marital status?"
The responses were mixed, with some totally agreeing, and others raising other questions they thought were important.
One wrote: "Agree with you 100%. This has irked me for years, just not necessary."
Someone fumed: "Why is Ms a Miss with issues? Would you say a divorced Mrs is also a Miss with issues? Ms is the Mr equivalent to my mind."
Another woman commented: "It annoys me too but I don't think the answer is to get rid of titles.
"The answer is for 'Ms' to become the only option for women, like 'Mr' for men. For this to happen, more women like you need to adopt it and decide to use it.
"I'm married and I use it unapologetically. I don't think it makes people think I have 'issues'."
Somebody disagreed, defending the title Mrs, writing: "But some people like Mrs?
"We need to keep them because we need to be able to address people formally in some circumstances. But Ms for women could be the default until someone is corrected."
A Mumsnetter said they thought the French had got it correct, commenting: "I always think the French way is much more sensible - you are Madame Surname as an adult and Mademoiselle as a child."
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