Here's a real life question faced by most of us at some point in our lives and

Here's a real life question faced by most of us at some point in our lives and

Here's a real life question faced by most of us at some point in our lives and that I will soon face: Given our cultural context, what is the best thing to do with the last names of a couple that is to be married? The default position even today of the so-called "person on the street" is that the woman should take the man's last name. However, given the patriarchal ideology which this practice is a manifestation of, this seems like a social norm that ought to be violated until it no longer exists. But what to put in its place? I see three plausible alternatives: (1) both the man and the woman keep their original names; (2) the man takes the woman's name; (3) the man and the woman create a totally new last name that they choose to share in place of their former names. Option (3) seems best to me right now, because it seems to get the desired symbolic value of a common last name (it symbolizes the couple's unity and commitment to live their lives essentially together) without symbolically subordinating either member of the couple to the other. Still, (1) and (2) have their advantages (such as being a marginally accepted practice already and not involving name changing courts, and having greater symbolic protest value against a patriarchal ideology, respectively), and (3) has its disadvantages (it would be difficult to apply universally, geneology would become extremely difficult, and it could result in severe sanctions from both people's families or even in wider social contexts). So, as thoughtful people, what do you think makes the most sense to do?

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