Summary Of Why Should Married Women Change Their Names?

In her article “Be Specific,” Natalie Goldberg mentions the importance of being specific and giving things their proper name. By doing so we are able to connect with the world on a much deeper level,thus allowing us to become conscious of our surroundings and recognize the uniqueness these objects bring to this world. A name is a unique way of distinguishing people from one another. It is an important aspect of our individuality and who we are as people. It reveals who we are and where we come from.

The purpose of a name is to identify an individual. However a name is so much more: a story, a family legacy, a way for people to tie you to your accomplishments and your failures. A name can be passed on through generations, carrying a past that can be traced through ancestral lines, or it can be a new creation, a story all its own. In the Holocaust people were stripped of their names; their identity, their culture, their sense of self, and reduced to a number in an effort to dehumanize them. Yes, in theory a name is merely a way to distinguish one person from another, but ultimately it is so much more than that.

Names are a very important thing that most people are given shortly after birth. A name is “the word or words that a person, thing or place is known by” (Cambridge Online Dictionary (2011), Retrieved November 6th 2012). Names are given to identify an individual in replace of calling someone “it”, a term used to refer to something inanimate or without a name. A name shows that someone loves us enough to name us; to think about it with care and affection. Names surrounding the author have a great influence also and the main character in Frankenstein shares the penname of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mary Shelley’s husband. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood uses the influence of feminism to create the names of the majority of the female

One reasoning for a women taking their husband's last name is in order to display

At birth everyone is given a name by their parents. Your name is part of your identity and how you are addressed and recognized by the world. The different verities among the population created other names given to different races. These names are offensive, demeaning and are only used to refer to a person in a disrespectful manner. They can also cause a segregation among a nations people, these names are forced upon people weather they are rich or poor, old or young, male or female and are used to describe the same race of people. In the class reading "What 's in a Name? “by Henry Louis Gates he reminisces about a personal experience of his that he had with his father. In the story he describes his father was a hard worker and, because of this he was in high financial standings and, he was well respected and given privileges that at the time was rare for people of his race but he was still black and his name, his individual identity was not important instead he was given a racial identity, this is the only thing he was known as, this type of negative recognition is something many black Americans can relate to. One’s race is a predominant part of our identity and is what causes discrimination.

Today in the United States, there is a more frequent trend for women to keep their last name after marriage. It should be unacceptable in modern times for a wife to disagree with her spouse about legally changing her last name to his. The whole idea of marriage is for two people to leave behind their individuality, and join together as one unit. Sharing the same name is a symbol that both people have committed to this union without any reservations. Although some people may argue that the man should take the woman’s last name, this is easier said than done. In all but nine states in the United States a whole separate legal name-changing procedure is required for a man to take his wife’s last name. However, a woman can easily change her name through the marriage process alone. Even in contemporary America, a woman should take their husband’s last name after marriage because it will not only benefit them, but it will also benefit their children, their

She agrees with Duncan that the state’s interest in marriage revolves around trying to protect the image of “the family” and reinstate the heterosexual, nuclear family. The government manages to intervene and influence a person’s choice in who they should marry by giving “benefits to heterosexual marriage: retirement and death benefits, family leave policies, health care decision making and access, taxation, immigration, and numerous others” (Heath 31). The government offers several benefits as a way to persuade people into heterosexual marriages because health care for instance, is important and useful, as medicine and medical attention are things that every person needs. Consequently, the government cleverly promotes heterosexuality by rewarding those who participate in the traditional marriage. Moreover, Mary Bernstein’s article, “The marriage contract” adds to Heath’s ideas by claiming that the state “continues to promote the heterosexual nuclear family as the norm” and is “pouring billions of dollars into promoting marriage as a way to

A woman’s place is in the home. She should have babies and raise them well. Her job is to keep the house clean and to take care of her husband. Although in today’s society this is no longer an acceptable classification, parts of it still exist within the minds of many. For example, the majority of men and women in the United States would say that they are against inequality between men and women; yet, the majority of women in America are living with their husband’s last name. This practice literally used to symbolize the ownership of the woman by the man, but people today fail to see the connection between this tradition and the past. This inability to see the

I think that the practice of taking the man’s name after marriage still exists today because of using sociological imagination. People take their cues from history. Because women have always taken the man’s last name in the past, women still do it today. This is the culture that is known to all of us. The idea of hegemonic masculinity also plays an important role. In the past, women have always been considered to be less than men. Using this theory, men are dominant and privileged and this dominance and privilege is invisible. They have a complete dominance over a group of people, being women, and a type of power so complete that it goes unnoticed by people who are dominated. It easily escapes our attention and is regarded as the norm. This

In our country, it would not unusual to see that when a couple decides to marry, the women would take the last name of her husband. This is a factor that can be used to make it tougher for women to vote because of some current laws established in states. Zook also comments on this her article about assaults on voting rights. She states, “many new laws stipulate that voter and state ID’s (such as a drivers license) must bear the exact same name, which poses a huge problem for women who show up to the polls after a marriage or a divorce” (Zook). Women made up 53 percent of voters in the election of 2012 (Zook). Voter and state ID’s such as this could add on extra pressure of ensuring that there legal name is currently the same on all levels of documentation. For those who get married extremely close to election time could be out of luck simply because it can take time to change the names on different documents. Also, careers as well as family matters may not allow a person to take the time to do such types of actions. Zook also goes on to state that, “the Brennan Center says this could inhibit the voting rights of 34 percent of women who lack citizenship documents with their current legal name” (Zook). Although women at one point in history did not possess the right to vote at all, these types of actions done by governments should be viewed as just as

As of 2015, thirty-seven U.S. states have legalize same-sex marriage, and with arguments in a landmark case currently being presented in the Supreme Court this month; there is little doubt that the modern definition of legal marriage will soon be forever changed in The United States. While same-sex marriage is still the center of fierce debate and opposition from primarily religious conservatives, public opinion reflects a more tolerant social consensus. Despite this relatively recent legal trend of marriage law reform, same-sex relationships are obviously nothing new. Like same-sex relationships, polygamous relationships have also existed in the U.S. regardless of state recognition. Curiously, unlike same-sex marriage, virtually no significant progress has been made for legal recognition of polyamorous unions. One could argue that “poly-progress” is more than just stagnant, but moving in a negative direction considering Supreme Court rulings consistently upholding polygamy bans. Mainstream representation of polygamy, or debate and discussion on its merits seem virtually non-existent, save the occasional voyeurism of reality television shows or liberalism of “think-pieces” buried deep within online newspapers archives. Monogamy commands such extreme reinforcement in American culture that polygamy is unconsciously considered “not up for debate,” and synonymous with evil even across

There is something special about a bride. Chosen, accepted, and loved by one man. A man who eagerly awaits her presence and knows her on a deeper, more intimate level than any one person. As she steps into her new role as wife and takes ownership of her new name, her identity is forever changed.

Marriage is both everywhere and essential. All over our country in the United States, in every type of region, every special and non-special social classes, every kind of race and all types of ethnicity, every religion or non-religion, people find somebody they want to shares their lives with and end up getting married. For many people, marriage is not a trivial matter. It is a key to life and to the pursuit of happiness, something people aspire to—and keep aspiring to, again and again, even when their experience has been far from happy. To be told “You cannot get married” is one of the worst “no’s” anybody can hear. Feeling excluded from one of the defining rituals

Do names really define a human being? I believe a person should be original, however that does not mean having a unique name. In my opinion, names are useful to acknowledge a person not label them. The above quote by William Shakespeare is symbolic to my beliefs. The poem’s meaning is a rose smells as sweet even if it was called any other name. That is conclusive to my thoughts because the rose is sweet from being a flower not because of it’s name. Your name doesn’t characterize you, but you personalize your name to fit your traits.

The marriage institution has been respected from the beginning of times but in modern society it is losing its meaning. In the past, marriage was something holy and it was held high by the people. Religion played an important role in making this institution strong. However, things have changed over the years, and things are no longer the same. In current times, individuals have evolved a lot in their beliefs of what is seen as socially acceptable. Divorce has become more widely accepted and there is less stigma surrounding it than in previous years. This variations in today’s social attitudes has driven people into marriages that are doomed to end in failure. This essay will address some of the main causes of why rates of divorce are skyrocketing in modern society. Some of which includes modification in the law, the changing role of women in the society and the high cost of living.