Ms.

Ms. is a common English honorific used to describe women without saying if they are married or unmarried.^[1] Ms. was invented to replace Mrs. (only for married women) and Miss (for unmarried women).^[2] American feminists supported the idea of using "Ms."^{[1] [2]} Now, most American women use "Ms.".^[3] The word and idea of "Ms." has a very complicated and complex history.^[2][3][4]

The honorific "Ms." goes back to at least the 1760s.^[4] But, it was more "officially" proposed by a writer in 1901.^[1]  This writer proposed "Ms." to avoid accidentally calling a woman a wrong name.^[1] This proposal was also the first marriage-neutral proposal.^[4] "Ms." was accepted as an honorific by the New York Times in 1986.^[1] Later, during a radio interview at the New York Radio Station, Sheila Michaels spoke out for the honorific "Ms." to be a title.^[1] Eventually, "Ms." became official.^[1][3]

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Zimmer, Ben (2009-10-23). "Ms". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} "Ms". Oxford English Dictionary.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Baron, Dennis (2010-08-27). "What's in a Name? For "Ms.," a Long History". Ms. Magazine. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Fox, Margalit (2017-07-06). "Sheila Michaels, Who Brought 'Ms.' to Prominence, Dies at 78". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-12.