Ms. (American English)[1] orMs (British English;[2] normally/ˈmɪz/, but also/məz/, or/məs/ when unstressed)[3][4] is anEnglish-language honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman, intended as a default form of address for women regardless of marital status.[5] LikeMiss andMrs., the termMs. has its origins in the female English title once used for all women,Mistress. It originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century.[6]
It is followed by afull stop, or period, inCanada and theUnited States, but not in many other English-speaking countries.[3][7]
Miss andMrs., both derived from the then formal Mistress, like Mister did not originally indicate marital status.[8][9] Ms. was another acceptable abbreviation for Mistress in England in the 17th and 18th centuries.[10] During the 19th century, however, Mrs. and Miss came to be associated almost exclusively with marital status.[11] Ms. was popularized as an alternative in the 20th century.[12][13]
The earliest known proposal for the modern revival of Ms. as a title appeared inThe Republican ofSpringfield, Massachusetts, on November 10, 1901:
There is a void in the English language which, with some diffidence, we undertake to fill. Every one has been put in an embarrassing position by ignorance of the status of some woman. To call a maiden Mrs is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts...Now, clearly, what is needed is a more comprehensive term which does homage to the sex without expressing any views as to their domestic situation, and what could be simpler or more logical than the retention of what the two doubtful terms have in common. The abbreviation Ms is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to circumstances. For oral use it might be rendered as "Mizz," which would be a close parallel to the practice long universal in manybucolic regions, where a slurred Mis' does duty for Miss and Mrs alike.[6]
The term was again suggested as a convenience to writers of business letters by such publications as theBulletin of the American Business Writing Association (1951) andThe Simplified Letter, issued by the National Office Management Association (1952).[14]
In 1961,Sheila Michaels attempted to put the term into use when she saw what she thought was a typographical error on the address label of a copy ofNews & Letters sent to her roommate.[15][16] Michaels "was looking for a title for a woman who did not 'belong' to a man."[17] She knew the separation of the now common termsMiss andMrs. had derived fromMistress, but one could not suggest that women use the original title with its now louche connotations. Her efforts to promote use of a new honorific were at first ignored.[18]
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In 1969, during a lull in an interview withThe Feminists group onWBAI-FM radio in New York City, Michaels suggested the use ofMs. A friend ofGloria Steinem heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine. The magazineMs. debuted on newsstands in January 1972, and its much-publicized name quickly led to widespread usage.[19] In February 1972, the US Government Printing Office approved usingMs. in official government documents.[20] In 1976,Marvel Comics introduced a newsuperhero namedMs. Marvel, billing her as the "first feminist superhero."[citation needed]
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Even several public opponents of such usage, includingWilliam Safire, were finally convinced thatMs. had earned a place in English by the case ofUS CongresswomanGeraldine Ferraro. Ferraro, a United States vice-presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who used her birth surname professionally rather than her husband's (Zaccaro). Safire, though saying "it breaks my heart," admitted in 1984 that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" (as she was married) or "Mrs. Ferraro" (as her husband was not "Mr. Ferraro")—and that calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro" would confuse the reader.[21]
Suggestions about howMs. should be used, or whether it should be used at all, are varied, with more criticism in the U.K. than in the U.S.
The Daily Telegraph states in its style guide thatMs should only be used if a subject requests it herself and it "should not be used merely because we do not know whether the woman is Mrs or Miss."[22]The Guardian, which restricts its use of honorific titles toleading articles, states in its style guide: "use Ms for women ... unless they have expressed a preference for Miss or Mrs."[23] ABBC Academy style guide states, "In choosing between Miss, Mrs and Ms, try to find out what the person herself uses, and stick to that."[24]The New York Times embraces the use of all three: Mrs., Miss, and Ms.,[25] and will follow the individual’s preferences.[26]
Some British etiquette writers and famous figures do not support the use ofMs, including Charles Kidd, the editor ofDebrett's Peerage and Baronetage, who claims the usage is "not very helpful" and that he had been "brought up to address a married woman as Mrs John Smith, for example."[27] Debrett's itself, concerning the case of a married woman who chooses not to take her husband's name, states, "The ugly-sounding Ms is problematic. Although many women have assumed this bland epithet, it remains incorrect to use it when addressing a social letter."[28] The former BritishConservative PartyMember of Parliament (MP)Ann Widdecombe has stated, "I can't see the point of Ms and I don't see it as an issue",[27] whilst author and journalistJessica Fellowes describes the title Ms as "ghastly."[28] TheQueen's English Society has criticised the use of Ms as "an abbreviation that is not short for anything", describing it as a "linguistic misfit [that] came about because certain women suddenly became sensitive about revealing their marital status."[29]
The default use ofMs., especially for business purposes, is championed by some American sources, includingJudith Martin (a.k.a. Miss Manners).[30] Concerning business, theEmily Post Institute states, "Ms. is the default form of address, unless you know positively that a woman wishes to be addressed as Mrs."[31]The American Heritage Book of English Usage states, "Using Ms. obviates the need for the guesswork involved in figuring out whether to address someone as Mrs. or Miss: you can't go wrong with Ms. Whether the woman you are addressing is married or unmarried, has changed her name or not, Ms. is always correct."[32]
