Scrap use of outdated 'Ms' honorific for female jockeys says Australian body

The use of the honorific 'Ms' for female jockeys in racecards has been labelled archaic by the Australian Jockeys' Association (AJA), which has called for the practice to be eradicated immediately.

"It's extremely outdated in 2019," said CEO Martin Talty. "The AJA has been requesting its removal for a few years and we hope it will happen shortly.

"It shouldn't even be up for discussion, it should just be removed so that female jockeys are labelled in the same manner as every other rider, they've certainly earned that.

"They're jockeys, we don't label Hugh Bowman or Kerrin McEvoy as male jockeys so why should the female riders like Linda Meech be labelled when they compete on equal terms?"

Racing Australia chairman Greg Nichols: 'It's there because no one has thought about eradicating it but that certainly is something that could be changed'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Talty said the change can be made any time on a purely computer-generated basis and called on Racing Australia (RA) to hasten the process.

On Tuesday, RA's chairman Greg Nichols said: "It's not there because we want women to be subservient to the industry, it's there because no one has thought about eradicating it but that certainly is something that could be changed."

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