Rupert Myers wibbles about women taking men’s surnames upon marriage – or, more specifically, the extreme feminist reaction to the custom.
There’s nothing wrong with a man saying that his wife should adopt his surname when they get married. While this is quite standard practice in Britain, the history of surnames is one of paternalism, discrimination, and the handling of women in a manner akin to property. Perhaps because of this, indignant feminist friends have recently forced me to defend my expressed preference for patrilinealism.
Mrs L chose to take my surname. Had she wanted to keep her maiden name, that would have been just fine. I have no issue about it either way. The same applied to my brother-in-law when my youngest sister preferred to keep her somewhat unusual maiden name. Their daughter has her father’s name. But apparently this is evil paternalism at work.
Britain ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination of All Forms Against Women on 7 April 1986, which states in Article 5(a) that we will “take all appropriate measures to modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct with a view to achieving the elimination of prejudices and custom based on the idea of the inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes”, and at Article 16(g) that we will ensure, “on a basis of equality of men and women, the same personal rights as husband and wife, including the right to choose a family name”.
I have this horrible feeling – just a feeling, mind you – that most people couldn’t give a hoot about the issue. In that, it isn’t an issue for most of us and certainly isn’t about discrimination. We just get on with our lives while the Guardianista tie themselves up on knots of angst over something that really doesn’t matter.
Even today, the numbers who adopt the man’s surname as show that in most cases when this question has been addressed, the argument is won by men…
Or, more likely, they didn’t give it a second thought; there wasn’t an argument at all.
Still, I guess if this is the worst we’ve got to worry about all’s well with the world.
Oh… Wait…
Agreed, there is no issue here as it purely depends on the individual.
I just cannot stand these feminists who think it is their place and their right to make the minds up of other people on women’s issues.
.-= My last blog ..Ed Balls is exactly what the Conservatives need right now =-.
With WN1, we made both our names into … er … both our names.
.-= My last blog ..Songs of depressingly fine memory =-.