Gender equality and the lack there of it...

I was watching TV last night and this advert came on about skincare or weight loss or something or other and some plastic looking ‘Doctor’ – and we are meant to believe that because she was wearing a white coat and that apparently makes her credible – came on the screen and gave the sales pitch about whatever she was selling working wonders and to listen to the testimonial of some of our ‘happy customers’. I was interested that each woman who appeared on screen had ‘Mrs’ before her name. Mrs Jane Smith…Mrs Mary Brown…Mrs Susan Jones...etc. Why the need for the title? Is the product any more impressive because the woman is married? I cannot, in any way, see how a title is relevant and, if I was interested in it, the use of the title thing makes me not want it.

If you’re married you don’t notice it, but single women are hard to categorize  I’m single. I know it only too well there’s always that hesitation as to what to call you. Generally people will go you ‘Mrs’ if you are over a certain age because it’s considered the safer option. Why do I have to be a ‘Mrs’? I’m not nor do I want to be one and I find it oppressive that I have to be categorized. You want to be polite? Call me by my first name. Interestingly as long as ‘Ms’ had been around and covers the whole Mrs/Miss thing, people just can’t get the hang of it.  But, to me, more importantly, why the need for a title at all?  

Weirdly enough, all of this fits into a series of four stories I am writing about gender equality and the lack there of it.