Is taking your husband’s name sexist? Debate as Kim takes West last name

Kim Kardashian changing her last name to ‘Kardashian West’ has spark a debate on social media, with some saying her decision was the ‘respectful’ thing to do, while others balked at the tradition.

The decision whether to keep or change one’s last name after marriage in some society is seen as compulsory and others personal, 65 percent of women in their 20s and 30s prefer to take their husband’s last names, this is according to a survey conducted by Facebook and The Daily Beast.

Some women are of the view that since women are outpacing men in education and in the workforce, they no longer need men for financial security or to procreate. So why forfeit our names for the sake of marriage.

For others, the decision is practical; sharing the same last name unifies the couple and their future children. Other women argue that relinquishing their name is anti-feminist, even a loss of identity and there’s the concern that one’s new name can confuse professional contacts, not to mention the sheer hassle of acquiring a new Social Security card, driver’s license, and passport, and renaming social media accounts. And there is even research suggesting that women who keep their maiden names are seen as more intelligent, ambitious and competent.

Yes, it’s absolutely unfair that women are expected to change their last names some would say. 

But there are plenty of compromises – keep your maiden name, hyphenate, ask your husband to take yours, or acquire a new family name, or meshed your last names together to form a new, unique one.

This is my take on this.

This is just ridiculous, and there lies the problem of the women eating the fruit in the Garden of Eve. Her eyes are open and sadly, open in the wrong way. The effect of eating the fruit is still being felt with the woman especially today in the developed world. This same mentality is responsible for the high rate of divorce and that same mentality has crept even into Christian homes and some churches, where the wife now sees herself as the head of the home because she brings in more money than her husband. That is not the way God intended it to be, and when we try to force things to become as God did not intend, the result is always to our harm.

Today a lot of ladies who schooled abroad are trying to change the way God intend the family system to run in developing countries like Nigeria, a lot of them claim independence by not taking their husband’s last name, others takes the name but also adds their own maiden name in the middle. Well, it’s not the change of name that truly matters but a change of heart and the willingness to work together as one but sadly, the refusal to bear ones’ husband’s last name is a clear indication that you are unwilling to submit to his leadership in the home.