Is it rude to call a woman "ma'am"?

I use to call ma'am to women showing respect, but as there is some people that find annoying the "Mrs", I don't know if my respectful tone using ma'am they do aside and find it rude.

Solution 1:

It certainly is not rude to address a woman as ma'am in England!

From Debrett's How to Address the Queen:

In conversation, address The Queen as 'Your Majesty', and subsequently 'Ma'am' (to rhyme with Pam).

From Wikipedia, how to address the Duchess of Cambridge:

Your Royal Highness, and thereafter as Ma'am

As for the United States, where youth rules, as Kristina Lopez said in her comment, young women may feel old if addressed as ma'am, particularly by a man who is younger than they. The first time this happens to a young woman can be traumatic, as I witnessed with a young woman colleague.

Even so, said respectfully, ma'am is never rude. (Practice a look of admiration to go along with the ma'am, to take the sting out.)

Solution 2:

Personally, I have found that in Midwestern states (Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota), women tend to prefer not to be called Ma'am. It does tend to be more acceptable in southern states (North Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina).

However, I have also experienced a more favorable acceptance of the term when in uniform working for the military or UPS in both northern and southern states.