# Why did we start using "Ms" instead of calling all adult women "Mrs"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-start-using-ms-instead-of-calling-all-adult-women-mrs/929596>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 3, 2021, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-start-using-ms-instead-of-calling-all-adult-women-mrs/929596 "2021-01-03T21:03:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 14

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-start-using-ms-instead-of-calling-all-adult-women-mrs/929596/14 "2021-01-04T12:59:16Z")

</div>

Here’s a recent thread that goes into the history and common adoption of the term.

> [@Why Ms Clinton instead of Mrs Clinton?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-ms-clinton-instead-of-mrs-clinton/841683):
>
> Politics aside, why the tendency to write it (and say it, as far as I know) Ms instead of Mrs? I routinely see it used either way. For instance, “Kearson: Why do you think Ms. Clinton is unelectable?” [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21911669](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=21911669) Did she get divorced and I missed it, or is the prefix no longer a determiner of marital status? Upon rereading the question before I post it, or is it politics?

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-we-start-using-ms-instead-of-calling-all-adult-women-mrs/929596)._