Usage Note: Many languages have courtesy titles that distinguish women based on marital status and age. In English, for example, Mrs. has traditionally been used for married women and Miss for unmarried women and girls. Equivalents in French, Spanish, Italian, and German are Madame/Mademoiselle, Señora/Señorita, Signora/Signorina, and Frau/Fräulein, respectively. Many women, however, find the focus on a woman's marital status (a distinction which isn't made in male courtesy titles, such as Mr. and Herr) offensive. Because of this view, in some languages courtesy titles that once indicated "married" are becoming more widely used as the polite form of address for all women. In Germany and France, Fräulein and Mademoiselle are no longer listed on official forms and documents. English is unique in its creation of a title, Ms., that like Mr., reveals nothing about one's marital status. Despite this move away from the traditional structure for female courtesy titles, in all cultures some women still prefer the traditional forms. If possible, one should refer to a woman with the courtesy title she prefers. However, when in doubt as to a woman's preference, the custom in English is to use Ms. and, in many other languages, to use the title formerly reserved for married women.