What’s in a name? Should you take your husband's surname?
The pending nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have royal watchers brushing up on royal naming practices and asking ‘what’s in a name?’
A new study shows that a wife’s choice of surnames may influence perceptions of her husband’s personality and the distribution of power in the marriage.
In a three-part study conducted in the US and the UK, Rachael Robnett and her co-authors concluded that men whose wives retain their own surnames after marriage are seen as submissive and less powerful in the relationship.
“The marital surname tradition is more than just a tradition. It reflects subtle gender-role norms and ideologies that often remain unquestioned despite privileging men,” said Ms Robnett.
What are your thoughts about women taking the surnames of the men they marry?
My cousin in England loved her surname and would never want to change it when she got married. Problem solved, her husband changed his surname to hers and they lived happily ever after.