Why are women faced with the options of Miss, Mrs and Ms? (From Warrington Guardian)

Why are women faced with the options of Miss, Mrs and Ms?

9:50am Friday 13th April 2012 in Natalie Ogden

On some flight information, a female I know was put as a Mrs instead of Miss. Apparently this doesn’t matter at the airport, but it got me thinking that for males, it really doesn’t.

Their marital status is nobody’s business and there isn’t room for error. Women however are faced with three options: Miss, Mrs and Ms.

Often, the Ms option is used by those who do not want their marital status to be known. The fact that there is even that option, while the other two exist sets us apart.

Men don’t have to make a conscious decision to decide whether to share their marital status or not. Perhaps it says something about society; that women are in some way still marked by their decision to marry or not.

Maybe the fact that we have to declare whether we’re married or not (or prefer not to say) is a sign that we still aren’t equal. Maybe I’m wrong and in the grand scheme of things, this doesn’t matter. But it’s something to think about.

Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here