Last Names in Marriage: 23 October 2011: Philosophy in Action

Last Names in Marriage

Webcast Q&A: Sunday, 23 October 2011, Question 2

In the live broadcast of Philosophy in Action Radio on 23 October 2011, I answered a question on last names in marriage.

Should women adopt the last names of their husbands? In today's culture, some newly-married women adopt the family name of their husbands. Some keep their own last name. Some hyphenate their names together. Some use their maiden name for work, but their married name in their personal life. Some couples adopt a wholly new name for themselves. What do you think of these various options? Should the possibility of divorce affect a woman's decision? Should the husband have a say in the woman's decision? Should men be more willing to change their own last name to that of their new wife?

My Answer, In Brief: A married couple has a wide range of options in last names, and they ought to choose whatever suits them best... except hyphenation.

Tags: Culture, Marriage, Romance

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I'm Dr. Diana Hsieh. I'm a philosopher specializing the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My dissertation defended moral responsibility and moral judgment against the doubts raised by Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."

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