Women are increasingly keeping their maiden name

A new trend has emerged in marriage – women keeping their maiden name.A

The trend is on the rise again after showing a decline in the 1980s and 1990s. Interestingly enough, this uptick isn’t because of feminism; women are choosing to keep their maiden name for various reasons, from their professional career to not wanting to part with something they’ve had their own lives.

According to a survey done by The New York Times, 20 percent of women who have gotten married in the last few years have kept their maiden name. An additional 10 percent have either hyphenated their name, or kept their maiden name professionally.

Other potential causes that give way to this trend are women are now getting educated at a higher rate than men, and couples are often living together in the same household before marriage. The survey also found that high-income urban women are more likely to keep their maiden names after marriage.

The research shows about 17 percent of women who married for the first time in the 1970s kept their names, falling to 14 percent in the 1980s, and rising to 18 percent in the 1990s.

In the 1970s, it was more common for women to keep their maiden name, as an act of rebellion to exert their gender rights. It was an act of feminism. Now, with women having a professional career, it makes sense to them to keep their maiden name for communication and social media purposes.

There is no right or wrong answer; it’s solely based off preference and need. Some women hyphenate, or keep their maiden name as their middle name. Each generation is finding a new answer, but the marriage tradition is shifting as women are embracing their maiden names.