Definition of Miss-Madam

In Spanish the distinction of meaning between lady and miss is, in principle, a simple matter. Any married or widowed woman is considered a lady, and a woman who remains single is a lady.

In everyday use of the language, the term "lady" is used to refer to women of a certain age and "miss" for the younger ones. Despite this initial definition, the use of both words is not without controversy.

The feminist approach

From the perspective feminist the classic question to a woman "ma'am or miss?" supposes a personal interference, since the civil status of a woman is a question that should not interest anyone. On the other hand, this question is considered to discriminate against women, since men are not asked an equivalent question. In fact, to address a man the word gentleman is not used.

Some feminists propose that the distinction "lady" or "young lady" should no longer be used and that every woman be considered "madam".

It is easy to make mistakes when using the term lady or miss

If a man addresses a thirty-year-old woman, it is very likely that he doubts and does not know from her whether it is appropriate to address her as a lady or as a young lady. If she calls him ma'am, she is likely to be offended because she understands that she is making him age. If he calls her miss, he might also be upset, considering that she is not treating him properly I respect.

If it is a very young woman, the most common thing would be to call her miss. However, it could be a very young woman who was married and in this case she would be making a mistake.

The situations indicated above remind us that the social use of both words leads to implicit a problem and that it is not easy to use one or the other without causing a certain discomfort in the woman.

Other uses of the term lady and miss

Sometimes the word madam is used regardless of the state civil. If someone says "she is quite a lady" is indicating that a woman has a great category as a person. In some professional contexts, it is common to address women as young ladies, for example in the early childhood education or in the Commerce and this use is independent of the marital status or the age of the woman.

In English there is also a distinction between madam and miss

In English, the abbreviation "Mr" followed by the surname is used to refer to men, regardless of their marital status. To address women there are two possibilities:

1) "Miss" followed by the last name for single women and

2) the abbreviation "Mrs" plus the last name for married women.

Photo: Fotolia - Viacheslav Iakobchuk

Themes in Miss-Lady