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Talk ... Newswatch Last Updated: Friday, 15 July, 2005, 10:08 GMT 11:08 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version Being Lisa Stansfield
By Lisa M Stansfield
BBC News
When it comes to marriage, where does tradition stop? Before you ask, yes, I have been around the world. It was a nine-month trip. But unlike my new namesake, I wasn't looking for my baby. I'd found him already, and that's when my dilemma began. Before my recent wedding, I was plain old Lisa Carpenter. Nothing remotely funny about that name, but it was a name that had served me well for years. Then I had to face the question that all newly married women must confront these days - to take, or not to take, your husband's surname? Even in this allegedly post-feminist era, women are still faced with the daunting prospect of having to defend their decision to anyone who asks. Are you really changing your name? Don't you think you're losing your identity if you change it? Changing strains There is no legal requirement for a woman to take her husband's surname when she gets married. It is entirely her choice. But marriage is steeped in custom and that steers women into thinking that they should make the "right" and "traditional" choice. | |
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