A number of women these days are refraining from using their husband’s surname post marriage. Some retain their maiden name which again is their father’s surname, while some use both the surnames. Why do we not think of including our mother’s identity in our names? It is perfectly logical if they are concerned about the legal documentation hassles after marriage,(which is still applicable if they wish to use both surnames). But, enlighten me if there are any other thoughts behind it.
I wonder at times if retaining our identity means retaining our maiden name. Why do we agree to our kids acquiring their father’s name alone? Why don’t we make it a point to add our surname to their names as well? Why not let them use both the surnames or just use their mother’s surname? Well, there are serious issues which might crop up if this is practiced. For example, if my child Anupriya takes up both the surnames it is going to be a scary situation in the future. Say she happens to get married to someone who uses both their parents’ surnames as well . Imagine a situation where my grandchild “XYZ” would be named “XYZ Singh Srivastava Sharma Subramanian”. And what if the process continues generations after generations?
Not inviting a debate but just trying to understand if I missing a point here?
I believe there are bigger issues associated with women post marriage. Leaving our parental home and aging parents alone, not having an option to continue living with them is probably the most challenging. Issues like accepting new people in our lives irrespective of our preference, adapting to changing food choices, choice of clothing, choice of friends and choice to continue working are the issues that should be talked more about.
Since childhood, I had always fancied the surname Srivastava, so I did not put in much thought before changing. But even after 13 years of marriage, I pause to think before signing my name. Changing your surname or not is also a choice and you are free to do it your way. But again like they say “What’s in a name? “