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Ms (UK) or Ms. (USA) ( or ) is an English honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman. As with Mrs. and Miss, Ms. is a contraction of the honorific "Mistress", which is the feminine of "Mister" or "Master". Unlike Miss and Mrs., however, Ms. is used properly of married, divorced, or unmarried women and therefore does not denote marital status. In the U.S., the Emily Post Institute states that Ms. is the default form of address for business correspondence with a woman.
ough it is often incorrectly believed to be a creation of modern feminism, "Ms." was sporadically used as early as the 1700s as an abbreviation for the then formal title "Mistress" which was used for women of all marital statuses.
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Encyclopedia
Ms (UK) or Ms. (USA) ( or ) is an English honorific used with the last name or full name of a woman. As with Mrs. and Miss, Ms. is a contraction of the honorific "Mistress", which is the feminine of "Mister" or "Master". Unlike Miss and Mrs., however, Ms. is used properly of married, divorced, or unmarried women and therefore does not denote marital status. In the U.S., the Emily Post Institute states that Ms. is the default form of address for business correspondence with a woman.
Etymology
Although it is often incorrectly believed to be a creation of modern feminism, "Ms." was sporadically used as early as the 1700s as an abbreviation for the then formal title "Mistress" which was used for women of all marital statuses. The term was revived when it was "suggested as a convenience to writers of business letters by such publications as the Bulletin of the American Business Writing Association (1951) and The Simplified Letter, issued by the National Office Management Association (1952). "Ms.", like Mister, did not originally bear reference to marital status. This changed as the contractions "Miss" and "Mrs." came into use, beginning in the 17th century. The pronunciation mizz as an abbreviation of Mistress has long been colloquial in the American South and other areas.
The modern use of Ms. in preference to the traditional appellations was conceived by Sheila Michaels in 1961, upon seeing what might have been a typographical error on a copy of News & Letters. Address-o-graph plates were difficult to repair, and small, poor groups would not waste resources to correct minor mistakes. Michaels' roommate, Mary Hamilton (Congress of Racial Equality's first female Field Secretary in the South), had spoken to the group in Detroit and been mailed a copy of their newsletter. Michaels "was looking for a title for a woman who did not 'belong' to a man." She knew the separation of Miss and Mrs. had been recent, but one could not suggest that women call themselves Mistress with its louche connotations. Her efforts to promote use of a new honorific were ignored in the Civil Rights era, and seven years later in the nascent Women's Movement. Around 1971, in a lull during a WBAI-radio interview with The Feminists group, Michaels suggested the use of Ms. (having chosen a pronunciation current for both in Missouri, her home). A friend of Gloria Steinem heard the interview and suggested it as a title for her new magazine, Ms.
The usage of Ms. was championed as non-sexist language beginning in the 1970s when women entered the white-collar workforce in large numbers. At that time, many women adopted Ms. to show solidarity with the feminist movement as well as to influence the attitudes of their male and female colleagues.
Usage
American
The American Heritage Book of English Usage states that: "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."
Ms. is widely used in the U.S., much more so than currently in the UK. In business correspondence, it is standard. The default use of Ms. is also championed by a number of etiquette writers, including Judith Martin (who writes under the pen name Miss Manners).
In February 1972, the Government Printing Office approved using "Ms." in official government documents.
Several public opponents of "non-sexist language," such as William Safire, were finally convinced that Ms. had earned a place in English by the case of U.S. Congresswoman Geraldine A. Ferraro. Ferraro, a United States vice-presidential candidate in 1984, was a married woman who went by her birth surname rather than her husband's surname (Zaccaro). Safire pointed out that it would be equally incorrect to call her "Miss Ferraro" or "Mrs. Ferraro" — or to confuse the reader by calling her "Mrs. Zaccaro."
British
The Times (UK) states in its style guide that: "Ms is nowadays fully acceptable when a woman wants to be called thus, or when it is not known for certain if she is Mrs or Miss" although many British women are offended by its impersonal nature and perceived diminution of marital status especially when used randomly .
The Guardian (UK) states in its style guide that: "We use whichever the woman in question prefers: with most women in public life (Ms Booth, Mrs May, Miss Widdecombe) that preference is well known; if you don't know, try to find out; if that proves impossible, use Ms."
Most women in the UK still appear to style themselves either "Miss" or "Mrs." However, in some circles the appellation is now standard, for instance in business — and where one may not know or find relevant the marital status of the woman so addressed. Ms can also be used if the woman in question is divorced and reverts to her maiden name. Additionally, she may have changed her name by deed poll and uses Ms because it is neither a married nor a maiden name.
Mrs is still in common use socially, especially by women who have taken their husband's family name. British school children may also address female teachers as Miss regardless of marital status.
Plurals
Either Mss. or Mses. may be used as the modern English plural of Ms. Alternately, if using the traditional French plurals ("Messieurs" for Mr., and "Mesdemoiselles" for Miss) one may use "Mesdames," which is also the plural for "Mrs."
In editorial work Mss. can be confusing, however, since it is also the abbreviation for "manuscripts (by)".
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