Marital Name Research Articles

The Effect of Marital Name Choices on Heterosexual Women’s and Men’s Perceived Quality as Romantic Partners

Are women and men judged for breaking gender norms in the context of heterosexual marriage? Using the case of marital name choice, the author compared the effect of gender-conventional choices (woman takes man’s surname) to gender-egalitarian choices (both partners keep or hyphenate their surnames) on the perceived quality of heterosexual women and men as romantic partners. Relying on a survey experiment ( n = 501), the author found that U.S. respondents perceived women who kept their surnames and women who shared hyphenated surnames with their husbands to be less committed and loving and to conform less to respondents’ image of the ideal wife than women who changed their names. These results show that gender-norm violations, not preferences for a shared spousal surname, explain the marital name penalty. Men in norm-breaking couples were also judged, albeit not as harshly as women, suggesting that there are contexts in which women are granted less gender flexibility than men.

Gender Equality: Marital Name Changing Attitude and Plan

In Nigeria just like other parts of the world, women have made remarkable achievements in creating awareness on girl's enrollment in school, violence against women and girls, women's economic empowerment, access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, women's voice, women leadership and influence, women's participation in peace and security, equality in the workplace, and household responsibilities in relation to the campaign for gender equality . However, this is not without incurring the wrath of the Nigerian male chauvinist in government. The most recent example is the throwing out of the Nigerian Senate the bill seeking equal rights to women in marriage, job and education for the third time at the plenary; quoting and citing the Quran, the Bible and the constitution as a basis for their reservations .

Memoriam: Lynn C. Westney (1947-2021)

References Davis, Ruth. 1987. ”Where will Technology Put the Library of the 21st Century.” Bulletin of the Medical Library Association 75, no. 1: 1-6. Chicago Tribune. 2021. “Dr. Lynn C. Westney.” Legacy Obituary. Accessed on 23 April 2021. Retrieved from https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/lynn-westney-obituary?pid=197494288. Howard, Heather, Meara Habashi, and Jason Reed. 2020. “The Gender Wage Gap in Research Libraries.” College and Research Libraries 81, no. 4: 664-675. Irvine, Betty Jo. 1985. “Difference by Sex: Academic Library Administrators.” Library Trends 34, no. 2: 235–258. Kamalski, Judith. 2011. “The Woman Formerly Known As. Research Trends.” Research Trends. Accessed on 24 April 2021. Retrieved from https://www.researchtrends.com/issue21-january-2011/944/. Lynch, Clifford and Edwin Brownrigg. 1986. “Conservation, Preservation, and Digitization.” College and Research Libraries July: 379–382. Pellack, Lorraine and Lori Kappmeyer. 2011. “The Ripple Effect of Women’s Name Changes in Indexing, Citation, and Authority Control.” Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 62, no. 3: 440–448. Noordewier, Marret, Fremke van Horen, Kirsten Ruys, and Dierderik Stapel. 2010. “What’s in a Name? 361.708 Euros: The Effects of Marital Name Change.” Basic and Applied Social Psychology 32, no.1: 17–25. Ruhig DuMont, Rosemary. 1985. “Introduction: Woman and Leadership in the Library Profession.” Library Trends 34, no. 2: 163–169. Swisher, Robert, Rosemary Ruhig DuMont, and Calvin Boyer. 1985. “The Motivation to Manage: A Study of Academic Librarians and Library Science Students.” Library Trends 34, no. 2: 219–234. Tescione, Susan. 1998. “Research News and Comment: A Woman’s Name: Implications for Publication, Citation, and Tenure.” Educational Researcher 27, no. 8: 38–42. US Department of Labor. 2021. “Affirmative Action.” Accessed on 23 April 2021. Retrieved from www.dol.gov/general/topic/hiring/affirmativeact. Westney, Lynn. 2007. “From Courtesans to Queens: Recipes Named for Women.” Names 55, no 3: 277–285. Westney, Lynn. 2009. “E-journals Inside Out: The First Decade.” Journal of the Association of History and Computing 12, no. 1. Accessed on 24 April 2021. Retrieved from https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jahc/3310410.0012.105/--e-journals-inside-and-out-the-first-decade?rgn=main;view=fulltext;q1=westney.

What’s in a name? An experimental test of marital name change on perceptions of female political candidates

ABSTRACT Stereotypes about female candidates can affect voters’ perceptions, particularly when candidates violate gender role norms. We focus on a potentially important but overlooked characteristic: whether a woman keeps her last name after getting married. Using a survey experiment that asked respondents to assess candidates who did and did not have the same last name as their husband, we find that this decision has no overall effect on electability or the perception of a candidate’s characteristics. However, our results show a number of conditional effects. Most notably, males with less education rate candidates who kept their names as less honest, less ethical, less caring, and less intelligent than those who make the more traditional choice.

Understanding Tradition: Marital Name Change in Britain and Norway

Marital surname change is a striking example of the survival of tradition. A practice emerging from patriarchal history has become embedded in an age of detraditionalisation and women’s emancipation. Is the tradition of women’s marital name change just some sort of inertia or drag, which will slowly disappear as modernity progresses, or does this tradition fulfil more contemporary roles? Are women and men just dupes to tradition, or alternatively do they use tradition to further their aims? We examine how different approaches – individualisation theory, new institutionalism, and bricolage – might tackle these questions. This examination is set within a comparative analysis of marital surname change in Britain and Norway, using small qualitative samples. We find that while individualisation and new institutionalism offer partial explanations, bricolage offers a more adaptable viewpoint.

Becoming “Us”: Marital Name, Gender, and Agentic Work in Transition to Marriage

ObjectiveThe article examines gendered expectations in marital naming and gender differences in how Finnish couples of the opposite sex engage in agentic work when negotiating names in the transition to marriage.BackgroundWhereas most literature focuses on women, this study investigates the decision‐making as a process participated in by both partners. Negotiation on names illustrates the process of becoming “us,” a new family unit in which the name is an important symbol. In this process, the Nordic ideal of gender equality effectuated by the Finnish Names Act, which treats partners symmetrically, collides with the practice of patrilineal surnaming considered as being the “traditional way.”MethodA total of 19 couple interviews were analyzed from the perspective of gender reflexivity and agentic work engaged in by two partners.ResultsQualitative analysis highlighted the following three patterns in couples' reasoning: patrilineal naming as self‐evident, “it's her choice,” and equivalence. In most cases, however, the couples resolved the ambivalence between gender equality and patrilineal naming practices by the agentic work of women, whereas men were privileged to withdraw from the negotiations.ConclusionGendered dynamics of decision‐making point out the subtle ways in which a patriarchal mind‐set continues to have a hold on family formation at the micro‐level of family relationships despite the widespread acceptance of gender equality in society.

The politics of marital name change

Each year, millions of women face the decision whether or not to change their names after marriage. One study found that region, gender role traditionalism, career orientation, and educational attainment predicted name changes (Johnson and Scheuble, 1995). Another line of research discovered that women who changed their names were perceived as less ambitious and less competent, but more caring than women who did not change their name (Noordewier et al., 2010). Despite the prevalence and importance of this decision, we know very little about marital name change among political leaders. In this study, we take a preliminary look at marital name change in the political arena by focusing on name changing among women serving in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. We find that half of female legislators keep their name after marriage, and that Democrats, racial minorities, legislators who come from political families, legislators who were married later in life, and legislators who were first elected to office at a younger age are more likely to keep their names.

Changing Name Changing: Framing Rules and the Future of Marital Names

Introduction 763 I. The Nature of the Problem 767 A. The Trouble with Names 768 B. The Trouble with Marital Naming Choices 774 II. Current Social Defaults: Practices of Family Naming 785 A. What Spouses Do with Their Names 785 B. What Parents Do with Their Children’s Names 791 III. Social Alternatives: Crafting A Sustainable Egalitarian Convention ....793 A. Common Alternatives to the Mrs. His Name Convention .......794 B. A Promising Alternative: Biphenation 804 IV. Current Legal Defaults: State Procedures for Marital Names 809 A. Keeping: The Least Sticky Default (But Only for Women) .....812 B. The Process (Costs) for Various Marital Name Changes .........816

Personenname und Recht

Until the 18th century the name of a natural person was not a legal issue in Germany. The determination of a person’s name – first and family name – was rather a matter of custom. According to Roman tradition which German law adopted generally it was allowed to change the name without any involvement of the State – no person was legally bound to his or her previous name. The article describes the development to a legal regulation of personal names by the State and describes the rules currently in force in Germany. It is shown that the first name of a child is determined by the (relatively) free choice of the parents, while the child himself is bound to the given name normally through all his life. A change of name is allowed only on the basis of an administrative decision of an authority which requires the person to show an important reason for the change of his or her name. The family name is also set by law. Traditionally, the name of the husband was transferred to the wife. This approach violated the principle of equal rights of men and women guaranteed by the German constitution of the 20th century. The article reports on legal reforms which introduced step-by-step a rather surprising freedom of choice for married couples in the determining their marital name.

Patient labels as a quality indicator of identitovigilance in French hospitals

IntroductionIdentity risk is frequent and serious. Between 2007 and 2010, 25.6% of 1572 serious adverse events declared in France are related to identitovigilance. No regulation clearly defines an ideal patient label even when a delivery refusal is applied in case of absent or incomplete identity (absence of surname and/or first name and/or birth date). The aim of the study was to draw up the current situation of patient labels in hospitals connected with our blood transfusion center and being used for blood products delivery and immuno-hematology analyses. Materials and methodsWe defined an ideal label with 5 items which must be present and clearly identified: surname, usual or marital name, first name, birth date and sex. It contains also an identifier, if possible with a bar code. We compare it with labels used in our hospitals. ResultsOnly 22% (17/76) had a patient label in compliance with our ideal label. Most of the items, even if they were not clearly identified on the label, were present. The surname was present and clearly indicated in 75% of cases (57/76). In approximately 50% of cases, there was a barcoded permanent and/or stay identifier. ConclusionOur results, with only 22% of labels considered as ‘ideal’, show all the work which remains to be done. A temporary solution can be the elaboration by hospitals of an identification guide of their present labels.

Marital Naming Plans among Students at Four Evangelical Colleges

Despite increasingly egalitarian gender roles in the United States, when the wedding bells ring for heterosexual couples, husband and wife still commonly emerge sharing the man’s last name. Largely missing from previous studies of marital name change is the influence of religion. We examine the marital naming plans of 199 students from four Evangelical colleges. Nearly all these students planned to marry and more than 80% planned to follow the traditional naming pattern for their gender. Bivariate correlations and logistic regression models reveal that private prayer and more literal views of the Bible correspond to plans for a traditional marital surname. Yet, only a small minority of students evoked religious language to justify their surname choice. Gender roles, identity, and tradition were dominant themes in their explanations. Whether recognized or not, personal religiosity and the model of marriage cultivated in religious families guide the marital naming intentions of Evangelical students. Thus, religion operates as an invisible influence shaping ideals of marriage and family within Evangelical subculture.

Marital Name Changing: Delving Deeper into Women’s Reasons

Using a mixed method approach, this study examines women’s reasons for the traditional practice of marital name changing. We utilize data collected via a questionnaire administered to first-year college students at a southeastern US public university and data gathered from in-depth interviews with recent college graduates. The quantitative results show that the reasons given for marital name changing are closely tied to social norms. The results from the qualitative analyses reveal more specifically how social norms direct the practice of marital name changing. Together the findings show that women’s perceptions of their family’s expectations are a key reason motivating them to practice marital name changing. However, in both samples, respondents express mixed and sometimes inconsistent reasons regarding marital name changing. Respondents emphasize the importance of adhering to the tradition while also reporting that they did not consider marital name changing as an important issue. These findings indicate the multifaceted quality of the issue. Together, the results illustrate how social norms shape people’s personal decision about marital name changing while also showing how the decision made by people shapes society.

Marital Name Changing Attitudes and Plans of College Students: Comparing Change Over Time and Across Regions.

This study examines time period and regional effects on U.S. college students' attitudes and plans regarding marital naming. Data were gathered at a Midwestern college in 1990 and 2006 and at an Eastern university in 2006 (N=867). No time period effect was identified for marital name plans in the Midwest samples. Women were neither more nor less likely to plan to retain their birth name in 1990 as compared to 2006. A time period effect was found for attitudes: Midwest women in 2006 were more likely to say a woman was more committed to the marriage if she took her husband's last name as compared to Midwest women in 1990. This indicates that women in the Midwest may have become more conservative over time. We also found regional differences: women in the East were significantly more likely than women in the Midwest to plan to keep their birth surname upon marriage. Findings suggest a trend toward more conservative attitudes over time and location although plans, perhaps due to the rareness of maintaining a birth surname upon marriage, have not changed.

Marital Name Change as a Window into Gender Attitudes

The need to revise scholars’ approach to the measurement of gender attitudes—long dominated by the separate-spheres paradigm—is growing increasingly timely as women’s share of the labor force approaches parity with men’s. Recent years have seen revived interest in marital name change as a gendered practice with the potential to aid in this task; however, scholars have yet to test its effectiveness as one possible indicator of gender attitudes. In this article we present views toward marital name change as a potential window into contemporary gender attitudes and most centrally as an illustration of the types of measures that hold great potential for attitudinal research. Using quantitative analyses from a national survey, we show that views on name change reflect expected sociodemographic cleavages and are more strongly linked to a wide array of other gender-related attitudes than are views regarding gendered separate spheres—even net of sociodemographic factors. We then turn to interlinked qualitative data to illustrate three reasons why name-change measures so effectively capture broader beliefs about gender. We conclude by looking at what attitudes about name change can tell us about future directions for the conceptualization and measurement of gender attitudes.

What's in a Name? 361.708 Euros: The Effects of Marital Name Change

This article has been retracted.

Women’s Choice of Surname Upon Marriage in Norway

This study examines women’s choice of surname upon marriage, using a nationally representative Norwegian sample (N= 1,276). Regression analyses revealed that age at marriage, own and mother’s education, urban residence, importance of paid labor, liberal family values, and egalitarian work‐family roles positively influence marital name keeping. Women’s increasing education and economic independence and changes in marriage and the social institution of the family suggest a rising likelihood of name keeping over time (1980 – 2002). According to our descriptive results, more women are keeping their surnames upon marriage. Controlling for the factors influencing marital name keeping, however, women marrying between 1990 and 2002 were less likely to be name keepers than women marrying in the 1980s.

Social and Cognitive Factors in Women's Marital Name Choice

(2007). Social and Cognitive Factors in Women's Marital Name Choice. Names: Vol. 55, Women in Onomastics, pp. 229-251.

Trends in Women's Marital Name Choices: 1966–1996

AbstractWhether or not women have been more likely to select non-conventional marital surnames in more recent years has received little attention in the marital naming literature. We examine marital name choices in more than 2,000 wedding announcements reported over a thirty year period in The New York Times. Women were more likely to have chosen non-conventional marital names in the late 1980s and 1990s than in the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, unlike women who changed their last names to those of their husbands, women selecting non-conventional last names were more likely to be employed, to have higher levels of education and to be married in non-church locations.

Attitudes Toward Women's Marital Name Choices

AbstractAttitudes of more than 900 adult respondents toward women's choosing to retain their birth name as their last name when they marry are reported. The majority of respondents were tolerant ofa woman's keeping her birth name, but were not tolerant if the couple planned to have children. Women were far more accepting of a wife's retaining her birth name than were men. Also more tolerant were persons with higher levels of education, higher incomes, lived in larger communities, had more liberal political leanings, were less religious and younger.

Marital Name Change: Plans and Attitudes of College Students

Analyse des opinions et des attitudes des etudiants envers l'idee du changement du nom de famille pour les femmes apres le mariage. L'appreciation des futures epouses est particulierement etudiee. Analyse qui s'inscrit dans le cadre plus general de l'evolution des attitudes envers le mariage et de la perception du role de la famille aujourd'hui