[ELI5]: Why do people sometimes refer to a husbands wife as, “Mrs. (Husband’s name) Smith?” Like the husbands first name but just Mrs. at the start? Wouldn’t it be easier to just say her name?

Question

[ELI5]: Why do people sometimes refer to a husbands wife as, “Mrs. (Husband’s name) Smith?” Like the husbands first name but just Mrs. at the start? Wouldn’t it be easier to just say her name?

In: Other

Answer 1

Because for some people, the wife is not her own person but just an extension of the husband. It’s a remnant of the time when a woman was considered to be her father’s property to give away to the husband.