No, I consider it polite, but I am from the south.

I have called women ma'am in the DC area and they seem to get offended--I was called ma'am in my 20s in the south by people younger than me, so never even thought about it! It seems strange to call a 60 year old woman "miss" but that seems to be what they want here. (I still prefer Ma'am.)

No. I’m a mature woman, not a young lady. If I were an unmarried 20-something, I would prefer “miss”.

Any woman over appx. 30 should be called “ma’am”.

No, I miss it!! Haven’t been called ma’am since I moved up north.

I'm from the south but live in the NE. To me, ma'am is definitely a sign of respect, but for older women. I remember the first time someone called me ma'am, a young man being polite. I came home and told my husband, I've been ma'am-ed! Rite of passage I wasn't fond of. Ha!

I’m not offended by it but I do not like it and would prefer that it not be used.

No ma’am, it’s fine.

This comes up a lot, which is enough to let you know that many people don't like it.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/756815.page#13788336

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/90/532934.page#8345100

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/123038.page#1042593

Excuse me ma’am is considered rude.

Excuse me miss is preferred.

Yes ma’am is not considered rude.

I really dislike Ma'am. I wouldn't be offended if the tone was polite. I recognize that it's a cultural thing and meant to be a mark of respect. If it was going to be a minimal interaction, I wouldn't say anything. If this was someone I would be working with for months, I would politely ask to be called by my first name and I would expect to have the request honored.

I am not offended, because I recognize that it is an attempt to be polite, but I DO NOT LIKE IT. And, I know I'm not alone. Tell your husband that he's better off not using it just in case.

Why would anyone be offended by someone trying to address them politely? Maybe they're not using every woman's preferred term, but how do you find an expression that suits everyone and isn't it the intention that counts?

It's fine. I prefer it to both "ladies" and "sir".

It’s only offensive because it’s for older women. Now that I’m 35 I’m not offended but at 29 it made me prickly.

Nope, ma’am is the opposite of offensive. It’s respectful.

I'm hearing that calling a woman "ma'am" is degrading. My 50yo husband runs a company that builds homes and often, kindly and in normal conversation, calls female clients "ma'am" or the men "sir." The age group of his clients are normally 35+. People are extremely sensitive these days and we certainly would not want to offend anyone. What's your viewpoint?