“Women who decline to take their husband’s names face not only the potential displeasure of their husband, but negative stereotypes from the wider public.” ( Emens, 779) A hundred years ago, women were forced by law to change their surnames to their husband’s, in order to retain a driver’s license and voter’s registration. However, it was not until the 1970’s when the law gave women the right to bear their birth names after marriage. With the option to change or to keep their surnames, few women actually keep their last names as a means of preserving their personal and professional identity, while most married women change their names to Mrs. His Name. Throughout history women have fought for their rights, for example, in the 19th Century
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One percent of married women, only one percent retained their surname or have a different last name than their husband’s. Research has identified three potential causes as to why women are reluctant to change their surnames. The first one is loss aversion, they don’t want to depart from the status quo, and they want to keep following the norm of taking their husband’s surname. The second one is that they avoid the effort of making a decision, which is stupid because is such an important decision, that will change how people view you, how people call you, and how you feel about yourself. Finally, the third one is that they interpret a default as a suggestion or recommendation. “More women may feel a loss at the idea of not becoming Mrs. His Name. ( Emens, 814) Society is one of the reasons why women still change their surnames when they get married, because society as a whole thinks that the way it should be. However, it shouldn’t be that way, we still live in male dominated place where even though we have our rights and we’re free, we are still chained and slaves by the society’s views. Women shouldn’t feel themselves obligated to change the name that they’ve carried their whole entire life, just because she decided to marry someone she loved. Unfortunately, we live in a society where young girls write future Mrs. His Name all over their notebooks; when instead they should …show more content…
( Emens, 764) This is true, women’s surnames just disappear while men’s surnames pass from generation to generation. People accept this, without realizing that the trend will keep going from generation to generation until someone decides to stop this. Some studies show that the inertia of the women that keep their names, has little effect on women keeping their names, because of the small percentage of women who keep their surnames. This percentage has to change, it has to increase by a lot. Society perceives women with their birth name as feminists or activist, when in reality most of them are proud of their accomplishments and their family. Some people may argue that having their father’s name is the same as having their husband’s name, when in reality their father’s name is the name that she was born with, the name that has accompanied her to all of her achievements from the Spelling Bee Trophies to the College Graduation Certificate. Her father’s surname is her surname, it always has been and it always should
One percent of married women, only one percent retained their surname or have a different last name than their husband’s. Research has identified three potential causes as to why women are reluctant to change their surnames. The first one is loss aversion, they don’t want to depart from the status quo, and they want to keep following the norm of taking their husband’s surname. The second one is that they avoid the effort of making a decision, which is stupid because is such an important decision, that will change how people view you, how people call you, and how you feel about yourself. Finally, the third one is that they interpret a default as a suggestion or recommendation. “More women may feel a loss at the idea of not becoming Mrs. His Name. ( Emens, 814) Society is one of the reasons why women still change their surnames when they get married, because society as a whole thinks that the way it should be. However, it shouldn’t be that way, we still live in male dominated place where even though we have our rights and we’re free, we are still chained and slaves by the society’s views. Women shouldn’t feel themselves obligated to change the name that they’ve carried their whole entire life, just because she decided to marry someone she loved. Unfortunately, we live in a society where young girls write future Mrs. His Name all over their notebooks; when instead they should …show more content…
( Emens, 764) This is true, women’s surnames just disappear while men’s surnames pass from generation to generation. People accept this, without realizing that the trend will keep going from generation to generation until someone decides to stop this. Some studies show that the inertia of the women that keep their names, has little effect on women keeping their names, because of the small percentage of women who keep their surnames. This percentage has to change, it has to increase by a lot. Society perceives women with their birth name as feminists or activist, when in reality most of them are proud of their accomplishments and their family. Some people may argue that having their father’s name is the same as having their husband’s name, when in reality their father’s name is the name that she was born with, the name that has accompanied her to all of her achievements from the Spelling Bee Trophies to the College Graduation Certificate. Her father’s surname is her surname, it always has been and it always should