And they desire this? Hell, I might change my name to Ms. if it gets me out of working 4 hours a day of unpaid overtime. Further, 'Ms.' doesn't remove existing children or the ability to have them (not to mention single women have kids too, and a single mom would have more demands outside of work, so this is a method of subterfuge? I'm not arguing, but trying to understand it makes me think it's petty and lame, if not misguided. Looking back, it's a lot of commentary concerning something about which really I couldn't care less. My bad. Still, I think I'll stick with Mrs. when I know they're married, and Miss when not, forcing those who are worried about it to correct me. I could see using it when the person doing the addressing doesn't know, but when you know? Silliness.
Look at it another way: Why shouldn't they be? It's been that way forever and it's a hassle to change it. Marital status shouldn't matter in a professional setting, in the first place.
I asked my wife about this, as she is an executive in a professional setting, and she said you use Ms., because it applies to every woman and helps prevent confusion. Of course, she also said that if a woman asks to be referred to as Mrs. Whatever, you do as she wishes. And yes, I asked about "ho-bag." She said she wouldn't suggest using it, not if I wanted to get laid anytime soon.
