Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uunet!ora!ora!daemon
From: bcstec!tahoma!kgf2173@uunet.uu.net (Kerry G. Forschler)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Name Change Upon Marriage?
Keywords: marriage names
Message-ID: <1157@tahoma.UUCP>
Date: 15 Aug 90 02:52:47 GMT
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Organization: The Boeing Co., BCA FSL, Seattle, WA
Lines: 35
Approved: ambar@ora.com

I'm interested in women's opinions about changing names when they
are married.  

In this last month I've spent 10 to 20 hours updating and
correcting our church's directory of members.  I was trying to get
up to date addresses and track down some inactive members who had
moved out of the area.  Some of this time, but by no means all,
was spent dealing with church members who had gotten married and
changed their names.  Of course, I could not get AT&T directory
service information under their previous names and I frequently
had trouble finding their new names.  I found it very frustrating.

How do you women feel about changing your name when you're married?

What sort of frustrations has it caused you? 

It seems to me (a male) that changing your name shows belonging/
/allegiance/ownership/subservience/possession/etc (you pick the
word) to your husband.  How do you see it?

BTW, yes, I'm married.  Almost 20 years ago, my wife changed her
name to mine.  We've talked about this several times and she
says she probably wouldn't do it again.  For some of those 20 years,
I've thought that I might have changed my name to be hyphenated
with hers, if I'd been more liberated at the time.  But when I see
the frustrations it causes, I beginning to think that it might be
an out of date custom.

What do you think?

-- 
Kerry G. Forschler   		 |  Voice: 206-237-1274 (work)
Boeing Commercial Airplanes      |  Voice: 206-235-1435 (home)
P.O. Box 3707, M/S 96-02         |  UUCP: ..!uunet!bcstec!tahoma!kgf2173
Seattle, WA  98124-2207          |  Boeing net: kgf2173@tahoma