this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2025
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Originally Posted By u/HumusSapien At 2025-04-15 07:27:15 PM | Source


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[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 19 points 3 days ago (5 children)

This is a US/[Western?] cultural thing that I never understood. Why does the woman need to change her surname after marriage?

[–] Jhex@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago

because for some, women are fancy cattle

[–] cobn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Do they need to? No, my wife has a fun first and last name and she kept hers after marriage. But there is a cultural norm of doing it.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 6 points 3 days ago

The tide is definitely changing on this front, but the pressure is still strong. I saw an engagement fall apart because a dude was largely okay with his fiancée keeping her surname, except for a bit of sadness that he felt they'd feel like less of a family if they didn't share a surname (especially after kids). She (mostly jokingly) suggested that he could change his name to match hers, and to everyone's surprise, he blew up about it, saying some stuff that seemed super out of character for him. She didn't care much about the surname thing, but was thrown off by how much this had touched a nerve, so tried to broach the topic a few more times, to understand why even the idea of changing his surname to hers was so upsetting. The answer was fragile masculinity

He seemed like a solidly progressive guy, so the entire friend group was surprised by some of the shit he spouted. What really blew me away though is that after the engagement fell apart, a lot of guys I knew said that although he was clearly out of line in his behaviour, that they could sympathise with him to some extent because "[his fiancée] should have known not to even joke about it". I realised that many of them held the contradictory position of considering it degrading to change one's surname when getting married (especially for men), whilst simultaneously hoping (or expecting) their future wives to take their name.

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There is not a rule that they need to. It's just been done for so long that most people just don't think about it or the implications.

[–] Zron@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

We decided not to do it just because it’s gotten so fucking complicated in the modern era.

Back when women didn’t have rights, sure get a new name. But now that means going through the court to change your name, then to the DMV for a new ID, then going to the bank immediately to change that, then getting new insurance cards, then updating her retirement account, then getting the car registration changed to the new name, then all of the credit cards need to be re-issued, then her medical license needs to re-issued, and her license to carry, and I’m sure there’s a few that also need to be updated that I forgot about.

We made a list and looked at how long it would take to fill out one of the name change forms at the bank. It would take like 3 days of doing nothing but changing the name just to have everything updated. And then her friends had issues with insurance denying care because of the name mismatch, even after they’d had it updated.

It’s so much work for no gain

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I mean I am not there yet but I guess it depends on a person to person basis.

[–] Croquette@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Because women are still largely considered the lesser counter parts to men, and we can't have their lineage (in name only, mind you) carry on.

[–] PanArab@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

I can’t speak for all cultures but Arabs don’t so this. I also think it is haram in Islam but not absolutely certain.

[–] barneypiccolo@lemm.ee 4 points 3 days ago

I've wondered that all my life. In a nation that has accepted feminism (more or less), it seems wierd that women change their names when they get married.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 23 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This font is a little hard to read. I think people who make these messages should be a little more careful about that.

[–] TexMexBazooka@lemm.ee 4 points 3 days ago

Black text with a white border, legible on literally everything, looks clean and professional

[–] Nounka@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago

We don't change names over here ( Belgium ) after marriage. Sometimes woman are refered to by ms malename but not often. Ms femalename is normal even in letters and stuff from the state.

I'm older than my partner ( not married) and therefor my name is first and i am seen as the head off the family for taxes and stuff. Seems logical and fair.

Children can get the male / female / both with a - family names. To be dessided by parents with first child. Next one will have the same name. I chose my partners name.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 5 points 3 days ago

Look like someone wants to stop woemen from getting married at all. I mean all the paper work plus the risk of not being able to vote? Its not like marriage locks a man down. If he needed a ring of binding he was never locked down.

[–] Ohi@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

If I'm understanding it correctly, they would be able to use their state provided drivers license for identification. Is that not the case?

Only if it's a REALID. And even as a DoD ID and valid passport holder, I don't have a REALID yet because I haven't ever brought enough proof that I am who I am to the DMV when I renew my license.

You'd think that two forms of ID that required me to provide my birth certificate (and one my SSID card) would be sufficient. I don't live in the same state where I'm licensed (I keep an open primary state for voting until I have to switch when I retire next year), so it's a 3-hour drive each way to my DMV, that I have to make on a workday, plus 2+ hours in line there. Add in the cost of fuel and that could be a very expensive day if I wasn't as privileged as I am.

I'm a white guy with a salaried position and the flexibility to give up a day's work to get my ID renewed, if I were someone who had to decide between voting and having the money to feed my kids this week, sadly I wouldn't be voting. And that's their goal.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 22 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think it has to match your birth cert because they hate trans people. Disenfranchising women was a bonus for them

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 4 points 3 days ago

You have to bring your birth certificate to vote now?

get divorced

vote

get married again

We got this.