Journalist Aniekeme Finbarr Wonders Why Married Women Are Leaving ‘Mrs’ Off Documents and Business Cards

Nigerian broadcast journalist Aniekeme Finbarr has sparked conversation on social media after expressing concern over what he described as the gradual disappearance of the title “Mrs” from official documents and business cards used by married women.

Finbarr, a former Special Assistant to the immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State and recipient of the 2024 U.S. Department of State IVLP Global Impact Award, shared his observation in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to him, the honorific appears to be used less frequently in formal settings, prompting him to wonder if women had collectively embraced the shift without informing men.

“The title, MRS, has quietly disappeared everywhere. In official documents, business cards, etc. Just a little on the church WhatsApp group. I think the women have a consensus and we weren’t informed,” he wrote.

His remarks have generated discussions online, with some agreeing that many married women now prefer using their names without marital titles in professional and official settings, while others noted that the use of “Mrs” remains common in personal, social and family contexts.