Off topic but since two people have asked different facets of the same question I will answer. I recommend everyone except JB and Profondo to read something more interesting.
Originally the term for a woman was Goodwife. For women whether married or not the short version was Goody (e.g. Goody Twoshoes). Perhaps I should have referred to the Chief Executive as Goody Whelan
There are two problems with Mrs and Miss. (1) It is difficult to know whether a woman is married or not. (2) It should not matter whether a woman is married or not. The answer is to give the title of Mrs to all adult women just as all adult men are Mr.
I support many forms of feminism. I am all for women having equal status, boxing or playing rugby, favour free child care, would have liked to have seen Caroline Flint as Labour leader and do not understand why women change their name on getting married. I do not support Ms.
Oh dear the women who prefer Ms - oh I could go on but I will just mention one who dismissed my favourite painter Raphael with contempt as "just another dead white European male".
JB and Profondo if you actually read this I bet you wish you had never asked the question.
Thanks for the answer - I'm not feeling any the wiser though.
You have respected the names Profundo and I have chosen for ourselves on this forum. I do not think you would be shocked to hear that my mother does not call me 'JB5000' though. I'd be surprised if Susan Whelan let it be known that she would prefer to be called Sue or Ann, or by whatever her middle name is, you didn't respect that. If she had done this before coming to be LCFC you would probably be none the wiser that this wasn't her full name, or seek out what it is in order to call her that. So why would you not respect the title she asks to go by? If she had earned a doctorate or held a professorial chair would you be happy to use the titles that come with these, as, I imagine, you might a man?
You mention that you do not see why women change their names when they get married. While this is becoming less common, I don't see what place either of us have to question an individual woman's choice is here. I always said to my own good wife that it was her business what she called herself when we got married, although I'm first to admit that our children's surname was not something I considered moving on - I wonder what your position is on that aspect of family names? Thankfully we live in a society in which women choose their husband, while others in the world are not so lucky. We will never be in a position though whereby women can choose their father, so I can completely understand why a woman my wish to change her name. Can't you?
This all revolves around a peculiarly British freedom - that our name is what we say it is. I do not think that it is a coincidence that in a country like Germany, which has a culture of calling all adult women Frau irrespective of marital status, parents are expected to choose their baby's name from an approved list (with children receiving a name from the state within a fortnight otherwise) - and individuals find changing their name, for whatever reason, much more complicated.
And finally, on your comment about Raphael. I'd rather spend an evening at the ballet than an afternoon in an art gallery (unless I happen to be close to Florence's wonderful Uffizi). Decidedly white and european, I will give you. Though thankfully the performers are usually alive.
