In August on 2007 Ubuntu Weekly News (an official ubuntu publication) included the following
"103 members was the official count in channel, and this even included some wives."
Elizabeth Krumbach followed the standard procedures for commenting on this publication and sent a mail to the ubuntu-marketing list asking them to consider the term "spouses" be used rather than "wives" to describe the partners of project members attending events, since her husband was a frequent attendee of events and it should be no surprise that as an Ubuntu Member and wife, that she would be attending.
Elizabeth's request:
In the future you might consider using the term "spouses" rather than "wives"
My husband doesn't use Ubuntu (he primarily uses Gentoo), but regularly comes to support me in my activities in Ubuntu, and if he'd been in town this past weekend probably would have attended this meeting too. I can't imagine I'm the only person in this position.
This email was met with mild defensiveness which was later excused as being a reaction of surprise and annoyance to the email on such a small and harmless insignificant detail:
"more and more time is invested in a harmless insignificant detail rather then contributing in a positive way... *sigh*"