Does ditching your maiden name hinder a woman's career?
What’s in a name? A better question: what’s in a taken name?
As an unmarried man, the whole have-a-woman-take-your-name thing both confounds and intimidates me. This is 2011; it’s no longer a given that a bride adopts her husband’s last name. How it’s decided, or whether – gulp – hyphens are involved is a world I yet know nothing about.
But here’s an interesting take on the economic consequences of a woman ditching her maiden name.
According to a few reports, employers – the whole corporate and societal structure, really – perceive women that adopt their husband’s last name as less ambitious, more focused on family than career and, thus, inclined to work fewer hours on the job.
Certainly, this will be one of the more polarizing topics we’ve explored recently in this space, but Marina Adshade, that unconventional Canadian economist from the Big Think’s Dollars and Sex blog, has an interesting take on the professional implications of female name-taking.
*Bing: Why do women earn less than men?
In the U.S., for instance, educated women are more likely – 2.8 times more likely with a master’s degree, five times more likely with a professional degree and 9.8 times with a doctorate – to keep their own names than women with less than a bachelor’s degree. Women who keep their name are also likely have fewer children – a woman that takes her husband’s name in the Netherlands, for example, has 2.2 children while a woman that keeps her own name has just 1.9 kids, on average.
Further, women that take their husband’s last name also tend to work less than their maiden-named counterparts – 22.4 hours per week for name-takers, 28.3 hours on the job per week for name-keepers. Though data may not be reliable for compensation, it’s thought women that take their husband’s last name also earn less than brides that keep their own moniker.
Of course, you see where all this is headed. The overarching picture here, fair or not, is that employers may view women that adopt their husband’s name as less professionally motivated than those that keep their own. And perhaps, it isn’t just HR managers that feel the same way:
“Researchers have conducted a multi-part experiment in which participants were asked to give their perceptions of a woman described in a particular scenario,” Adshade writes. “In one part of the study, participants were randomly given one of two scenarios in which they meet a woman at a party. In one scenario the woman has her husband’s name and in the other she does not.
“They were then asked to give their perceptions of the hypothetical woman. Despite the fact that other than their name choice the women were identical, the participants overwhelmingly described the woman who had taken her husband’s name as being more caring, more dependent, less intelligent, more emotional and (somewhat) less competent.”
That’s a strong conclusion, and an unfortunate one, at that. In rebuttal to this theory is that no one’s ever heard of Michelle Robinson, Margaret Roberts or Victoria Adams -- three successful women that adopted their husband's last names. On the other hand, for women like Amanda Lang, Olivia Chow and Meg Whitman, a resistance to change names after marriage hasn't appeared to be any type of burden.
Do you think women that adopt their husband’s name hinder their professional ambitions in doing so?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: binder dundat | Oct 21, 2021 2:28:20 PM
"the whole corporate and societal structure, really – perceive women that adopt their husband’s last name as less ambitious, more focused on family than career and, thus, inclined to work fewer hours on the job."
since when are employers asking you about your maiden name? I have never heard about this before and I dont believe it to be legal either.
Posted by: Dana | Oct 21, 2021 3:29:43 PM
It's not legal to ask those questions, or base hiring/firing/promotional decisions on "family situations". I am surprised that these are the findings the "HR Managers" are talking about. I am currently taking my bachelor's in HR and the overarching theme in all the courses is to be aware of possible discrimination, but not to let it influence decisions. It's also important to keep in mind that the examples brought forth are based on perception rather than reality.
Posted by: Colour of money | Oct 21, 2021 4:19:57 PM
Rather than say that managers/the world-at-large have a negative bias towards woman who change their name, I would suspect that career minded and/or proud and/or not as family centered women are less likely to change their name.
Put another way, which women are more likely to follow the traditional practice of taking their husband's name: traditional women with traditional values (which include choosing family before career), or independent modern women who push aside some traditional (patriarchal?) values, struggling toward gender parity?
Traditional values hold back a woman's career, and taking one's husband's name is a proxy for signaling a woman who holds traditional values dear.
p.s. in Quebec, all woman must keep their maiden name.
Posted by: Maria | Oct 24, 2021 12:24:37 AM
Changing your last name means a break in your track record. People who know you well in your given career will adjust, but those who know you by name or briefly are likely not to make the connection. In a world where getting noticed counts this break can harm a woman's career making her seem like a new entry.
Also on a practical note, women that are more keen to take their husband's last name often do so because they want their whole family (including children they plan to have) to have the same last name. One more reason the correlation between having children and changing last name exists.
Posted by: K T-M | Oct 24, 2021 1:11:43 AM
Ok ... but what about those of us that buck the whole bloody system? What about women like me, who want to marry another woman and take her name? What about men who take on their wife's name? What's so scary about hyphenation?
This article makes me want to see some real change in the workplace. A name is a name. A persons' competance is what matters.
Posted by: To KTM | Oct 24, 2021 9:17:17 AM
To answer your question, there is nothing wrong with hyphenation. Have you ever tried to fill out a form with a long name, or worse yet, a hyphenated name? My name isn't as long as many, yet I still find those forms troublesome. I would stick to something simple.
Posted by: June | Oct 24, 2021 9:29:23 AM
"Does ditching your maiden name hinder a woman's career?"
I don't thing changing a woman's maiden name will hinder her career, in fact in other countries were changing their maiden name is a must, were also very successfull, even making more money than thier husband. It depends to the situation of a woman to be successfull in her career, it has nothing to do with her name, it has something to do with her ability to handle or tackle things. I think HR are a bit bias toward woman. What matter is a woman's ability to function...Wake-up HR.
Posted by: Andrea | Oct 24, 2021 1:36:32 PM
I absolutely agree with this study. I have seen it. I did not change my last name and have actually been complimented by employers for doing so. It's 2011....why do you have to change your last name just because you choose to get married?
Marriage is about two people taking the next step in their relationship, not about new last names. Why do I have to change my husband's last name to prove that I am committed to the relationship?
Posted by: Autumn | Oct 24, 2021 6:16:20 PM
The reason that women used to take their husband's last name was because a girl was "owned" by her father and when she married that "ownership" was transferred to her new husband... Women were chattel and were considered a commodity... women could not own property or vote or do anything without their husband's expressed consent... why would we want to carry on this tradition?
Ultimately, it is an archaic tradition that is rooted in patriarchal beliefs... there is no reason for it now other than having children and the entire family having the same last name...
My children have hyphenated last names... mine and his... and my husband and I each kept the last names we were born with. Solves that problem!
Posted by: Valeena | Oct 25, 2021 12:00:56 AM
Now your children just have to deal with the hyphenated last name. lol
Posted by: Amanda | Oct 25, 2021 1:56:16 AM
I am a registered, regulated professional in Alberta and have been accepted for training to become a national specialist in my field. I expect that my peers and supervisors will judge my abilities based on my job performance and not based on my name. Frankly, if there was any indication that the changing of my name affected my professional standing, I would apply elsewhere. How I am viewed professionally does not dictate who I am personally or define who I am.
I am getting married this December and I fully intend to take my husband's last name. It is not because we intend on having children or that I plan on leaving my job or that my core values and beliefs have changed. I will still be the same person. It is my choice and I don't view it as a patriarchal or archaic tradition, however, I do view it as my family's tradition.
Posted by: Shai | Oct 25, 2021 2:18:30 AM
1.9 kids vs 2.2? when you round them off, they're both 2 XD.
Ok, all silliness aside, I didn't take my husband's last name, but that was because it would have been a nuisance to do it; all my bills would have to be changed over, my work stuff would shift around and my writing names would be changed up, but that was the only reason, silly as that is. My name has absolutely no bearing on my ability to write or work with clients, nor would it have any bearing on my ability to research, teach, or whatever else I chose to do. I really think that many employers are still stuck in the 1900s where when a woman got married, she stopped working. Times have changed though and the more businesses which realize that, the better
Posted by: Jay | Oct 25, 2021 5:32:21 AM
This study is misleading. It shows that people with a higher education have less kids work longer hours and tend to not change there name when married. To be accurate the study should compare people with equal education and then see if there is a difference changing ones name
Posted by: Daniel | Oct 25, 2021 7:39:56 AM
No wonder women with higher education tend to keep their maiden names. When you suddenly change your name, you do in a way obliterate the accomplishments you 've achieved thus far. In the professionnal spheres where you need to make a name for yourself, you wind up starting over at zero. What a shame! And do it all over again if you ever get divorced?!? I think taking a husband's name is a thing of the past. I don't see men being given their wife's name, there's no reason for it to work the other way, either.
Posted by: Belinda | Oct 25, 2021 7:40:47 AM
It always seems like a lose-lose situation for women these days. What does my last name have to do with my capabilities as a PERSON? Are you kidding me?! I understand the study is about the perception of employers in the boardroom...but if perception is now becoming the new reality, women will never become equal and we haven't come as far as we thought as a society that values equality.
Posted by: Ashley | Oct 25, 2021 8:33:41 AM
I fully intend to take on fiance's last name and I don't want any children, nor do I intend to cut back my work hrs. This is discrimination, changing your name should have no outcome on how you are viewed as an employee.
Posted by: noisy girl | Oct 25, 2021 11:01:17 AM
It seems that the PERCEPTION of these HR persons needs to be dealt with. It should not matter what the last name of a woman is. If she is a competent employee with the right qualifications that is what should matter. Woman should feel free to choose what they would like their name to be without the fear of retribution from their perspective employer.
Posted by: Dean | Oct 25, 2021 11:41:43 PM
My wife kept her name after we married. That was 25 years ago. It didn't seem to be a big deal to us, but many others found it offensive. We couldn't understand why. One time we tried to buy a house but the sellers refused to sell to a family with spouses of different last names. They said it was un-Christian and that we were unmarried with bastard children. What a bunch of scumbags. Times have changed, though, and now it is better. The only problem now is when my wife crosses the Canada/US border. She is not allowed to do this without a letter of permission from me. Why? Because the border guards don;t believe they are her children. So how does a letter from me prove anything? Too funny!
Posted by: MexicanRose | Oct 26, 2021 9:38:44 AM
Because a married woman keeps her maiden name, does not mean she's unmarried, as it was intimated with an earlier comment about the couple wanting to purchase a house. I think it presumptuous that the seller called them 'unchristian' just because the woman had a difference surname. That couple is legally married. Who's business is it anyway if she chooses to keep her maiden name? Yes, it's customary to change your name when you marry, but it isn't illegal to do so. When it comes to having children, in most cases the children's surname will be that of the father, or it will be hyphenated. No problem.
As for professionals...when a practioners license is granted, it's granted in the person's maiden name (if she's unmarried at the time). That person is known as Dr. Jane Smith, however in her private life she's Mrs. Jones. The name on her license never changes. If she were married at the time, then the license then of course would read Dr. Jane Jones.
A prospective employer has no right in asking if the woman's name is her maiden or married name. That does not figure into the equasion as to whether or not she's qualified for the job.
There are some men out there who carry their mother's maiden name. That's ok!!??? I know of a man who's mom, say for example was Jones. His Dad's surname was Smith. He goes by Craig Alexander Jones. Why?...likely by preference...or perhaps his parents weren't married. Who cares!
Ask the question..what's in a name?? It matters not.