We Don't Need These Titles

One of the main points in Deborah Tannen's piece "There Is No Unmarked Woman" that stood out to me was the fact of how much a woman's title reveals about her.  The line "Women can't even fill out a form without telling stories about themselves" got me wondering whether or not these these titles are useful, and I decided they aren't.  I'm talking mainly about the social ones such as "Mr." and "Mrs./Ms.".  By mentioning the marital status of a woman, the title detracts from her social standing and this feature of the title is wholly unnecessary.  Of course, some married women prefer this way and enjoy having the title of "Mrs.", yet other women, who are no less happier with their marriage, rightfully wonder what their marital status has to do with their professional life.  Why should it matter if they are married or not?  If people believe that one should never mix their personal and professional life, then this is a valid scenario to practice that belief.  A bigger question is why does a man not have to disclose this information?  Although some may argue that married women have a choice in whether or not they change their title or use whichever one they want to; however, not using "Mrs." always causes people to jump to conclusions about the state of her marriage or her husband may not appreciate the decision.  It is for these reasons that unisexual titles such as "Esq." and "Dr." should be the norm and ones that denote marital status need to go.  They have no place in a society that prides itself in its self-proclaimed gender equality.

                                              (Also, why make it so complicated?)







Sources:
"There Is No Unmarked Woman" by Deborah Tannen
Article about professional titles-
http://www.emilypost.com/communication-and-technology/social-names-and-titles/774-professional-titles