# "Ms." or "Mrs." President?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-or-mrs-president/463451>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 13, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-or-mrs-president/463451 "2008-09-13T15:55:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-or-mrs-president/463451/41 "2008-09-13T21:56:25Z")

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I’m assuming that she will be Madam President.

> [@](#):
>
> **Whack-a-Mole** : Miss, Mrs and Ms are all correct. It is not in error to say though that “Ms” is more politically correct than the first two.

I disagree with you. It is not a matter of “political correctness” anymore than any other standard of etiquette. The tradition has generally become to refer to adult women as _Ms_ unless she expresses a preference for _Miss_ or _Mrs._.

It was never the intention of feminists to make _Mrs._ or _Miss_ unacceptable. The purpose in introducing _Ms_ was to offer a choice that did not indicate marital status.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the signs that greeted us over the doors at our brand new school twenty-five years ago. All the married teachers where “Mrs.” All of the unmarried teachers were “Ms.” That was the choice of the administration.

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**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-or-mrs-president/463451/42 "2008-09-14T00:39:33Z")

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Madame President.

The form is the same as used with chairmen: “Mister Chairman,” “Madame Chairman.”

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-or-mrs-president/463451/43 "2008-09-14T01:06:05Z")

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> [@SkeptiJess](#):
>
> The etiquette answer:
> 
> Given the two choices presented, ‘Ms. President’ would be correct. Not politically correct, actually correct. ‘Ms.’ is a proper honorific for any woman when it isn’t necessary or desired to indicate marital status. ‘Ms.’ is, in this context, the exact equivalent of ‘Mr.’
> 
> ‘Mrs.’ means, properly, ‘wife of.’ So, ‘Mrs. President’ would mean, ‘wife of the President.’ Not correct, in other words.
> 
> All that said, when the situation arises, the usage will probably be ‘Madame President,’ since that is the protocol used in similar situations (Madama Speaker, Madame Governor, etc.)

Yes, this is what I was expressing. Correcting a long-standing error is not political correctness. Ms. is in almost all everyday contexts the only proper equivalent of Mr. What [Ms. Manners says](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/20/AR2006062001207.html) [corrected link] is, like most of her advice, to be ignored.

It’s true that in government, Madame is the preferred variant and that is probably what will be used. Or Madam. Another argument for another day.

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