Family insists on addressing me as “Mrs. [spouse’s first and last name]”, because I’m not a physician
My [34, F] father is a medical doctor, mother doesn’t work and has never felt she had to or desired a career. I work in cybersecurity, have a master’s degree, am pursuing a PhD, and have written several books/produced several films. As I had my maiden name on all of these (enrollment and future diploma name, in the case of the in-progress PhD) before marrying, I did not take my spouse’s surname.
…yet my mother insists because I’m not a doctor (and will never be a “real” doctor, according to her elitist logic that even dentists and PhDs aren’t real doctors), I must completely assume my male spouse’s identity. Even when trying to persuade my in-laws that I was “worth it”, her only reasoning was “Her father’s a physician!”
I don’t vibe with “Mrs. [husband’s first and last name]”. I can’t stand this notion that excessive education and certain super-hard-to-obtain professions are the only things that make a person worth it. No woman or person of any background should have their identity completely absorbed into someone else's.
**Edit: Since many are misinterpreting this post, editing to clarify - I’m not expecting to ever be called Dr., even after I earn the PhD, and I am welI aware that I don’t yet have a doctorate of any sort. The issue is not wanting to be defined solely by my husband’s first and last name. Just call me by my first name, same as always.