While often used interchangeably, the titles Ms and Miss carry distinct meanings and historical backgrounds. Miss traditionally denotes an unmarried woman, whereas Ms serves as a marital-status-neutral alternative. This distinction has sparked debate over gender equality and personal choice.
What Is the Difference Between Miss and Ms?
Miss is typically used only for unmarried women, while Ms can be used by women regardless of their marital status. The traditional titles Miss and Mrs have been criticised as sexist because they define a woman by whether she is married. In contrast, Ms does not indicate marital status. However, some have criticised Ms for supposedly 'not standing for anything.'
Historian Dr Amy Erickson, who has studied the origins of Mrs, Miss and Ms, refutes this criticism. She said: 'It’s curious that the use of Ms is often criticised today as not "standing for" anything. In fact, it has an impeccable historical pedigree since it was one of several abbreviations for Mistress in the 17th and 18th centuries.'
Origins of the Titles
Mrs, Miss and Ms are all abbreviations of the word 'Mistress', while Mr is an abbreviation of 'Master'. However, the association with marital status is a relatively recent development. The term 'Miss' was only adopted by adult women in the mid-18th century; before that, it was used exclusively for girls, and women were typically referred to as 'Mrs' regardless of marital status.
Dr Erickson explains that these titles were not universal: 'Until the 19th century, most women did not have any prefix before their name. Mrs and, later, Miss were both restricted to those of higher social standing. Women on the bottom rungs of the social scale were addressed simply by their names. Thus, in a large household the housekeeper might be Mrs Green, while the scullery maid was simply Molly and the woman who came in to do the laundry was Tom Black's wife or Betty Black.'
Why Do Some Women Choose Ms?
In 2017, the BBC interviewed several women who prefer Ms over Mrs or Miss. Helen Hall, 51, from Scarborough, said: 'I started to use Ms for two reasons. Beyond the age of 25, Miss feels rather undignified. Also, I began to resent having to reveal my marital status. When organisations see me listed as Ms, they always call me Mrs Hall. I don't correct them, as I don't want to make a big deal of it. I dealt face-to-face with customers for 15 years, and when taking details from a woman, I would always ask, "Which title do you prefer?" Simple.'
Jennie Jonasson, 51, from Montreal, Canada, added: 'I go by Ms. When my husband and I received an invoice addressed to Mr and Mrs, I sent it back with the Mr and Mrs scratched out and wrote: "Mr [husband's surname] and Ms Jonasson". Mrs and Miss to me are dinosaur terms that belong in the Downton Abbey era!'
The choice of title remains a personal decision, reflecting evolving attitudes toward gender and marital status in modern society.
