What's in a name?
Rhianna Suttie-Gunson
January 23, 2008
Gone are the days when a wife was ranked as similar in status to a property. The tradition of women taking their husbands name was at one time based on an ownership that the husband had over his wife. Mind you this also stems from a time when women were deemed not worthy of voting or having rights of their own.
Today women rights have evolved ten fold since then and women now have the right to decide whether they will take on their husbands name. Of course there is still the traditional view that families are identified by the same name and therefore if the wife wants to be part of that family she must change her name.
Not taking her husbands name at marriage is increasing in popularity. Many women feel that by losing their name they lose some of their identity. To a certain extent this is true. Your maiden name is a representation of where you came from. It links you to your heritage and family members from years gone by. Taking on a new name can align you to a new heritage and family and some may unnecessarily feel distanced from their own ancestry.
The biggest argument as to why women shouldn't change their name when they get married is the rate of divorce. Obviously if you are thinking of divorce before you get married then marriage is perhaps not the best idea, but it still needs to be taken into consideration.
In modern society people seem to have a different perspective on the sanctity of marriage. Where marriage was previously a one off event that lasted a lifetime, it is now somewhat of a shotgun event that can happen repeatedly. If Elizabeth Taylor changed her name every time she got married we would have lost track of who she is by now!
Another factor which needs to be considered in changing a name after marriage is the paperwork. Due to increases in identity theft and fraud, many states are changing or have changed their laws in regards to name changes, making it increasingly difficult for a married woman to take on her new husbands name legally.
While the final decision on a name lays with the bride it should not be something that they feel obligated to do, one way or another. Some women have dreamt about changing their surname from an early age. It would be a shame for these people to feel that society pressures them into not changing it because they are a 'modern woman'. Those that want to break with tradition and keep their maiden name should also be able to do so without feeling obligated to stick with tradition.
Today women rights have evolved ten fold since then and women now have the right to decide whether they will take on their husbands name. Of course there is still the traditional view that families are identified by the same name and therefore if the wife wants to be part of that family she must change her name.
Not taking her husbands name at marriage is increasing in popularity. Many women feel that by losing their name they lose some of their identity. To a certain extent this is true. Your maiden name is a representation of where you came from. It links you to your heritage and family members from years gone by. Taking on a new name can align you to a new heritage and family and some may unnecessarily feel distanced from their own ancestry.
The biggest argument as to why women shouldn't change their name when they get married is the rate of divorce. Obviously if you are thinking of divorce before you get married then marriage is perhaps not the best idea, but it still needs to be taken into consideration.
In modern society people seem to have a different perspective on the sanctity of marriage. Where marriage was previously a one off event that lasted a lifetime, it is now somewhat of a shotgun event that can happen repeatedly. If Elizabeth Taylor changed her name every time she got married we would have lost track of who she is by now!
Another factor which needs to be considered in changing a name after marriage is the paperwork. Due to increases in identity theft and fraud, many states are changing or have changed their laws in regards to name changes, making it increasingly difficult for a married woman to take on her new husbands name legally.
While the final decision on a name lays with the bride it should not be something that they feel obligated to do, one way or another. Some women have dreamt about changing their surname from an early age. It would be a shame for these people to feel that society pressures them into not changing it because they are a 'modern woman'. Those that want to break with tradition and keep their maiden name should also be able to do so without feeling obligated to stick with tradition.
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