First of all, I must say that I am surprised to read certain comments.
It is weird to see that the fact that a married woman in Quebec is not legally allowed to take her husband's surname and use it on her official documents doesn't bother some of the feminists who bothered to write comments on this thread.
They are very vocal when it comes to trumpeting the virtue of being a single mother or a teenage one or even the right to be a prostitute (extreme feminism, isn't it?), but are quasi-inexistent when it comes to condemning "honour killings" or simply a situation such as this one in Quebec.
Some comments show nothing but ignorance and bitterness, as well as some sort of irritation related to Quebec.
For those who are not informed about the law in Quebec:
A woman married in Quebec after 1981 MUST RETAIN HER MAIDEN NAME AND ALL HER OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS ARE EMITTED SUCH AS.
In Quebec, you can change your given name or surname to whatever you want (for a fee), but not to your husband’s surname.
FORCING women to keep their maiden name is, in my humble opinion, a blatant violation of human rights.
This is a matter of basic freedom of choice.
In numerous civilized countries, a married woman CAN CHOOSE THE SURNAME she wants to go by.
In the rest of Canada, women also have this basic right.
In Quebec, before 1981, women had to take their husband’s surname.
After 1981, women ARE NOT ALLOWED to take their husband’s surname.
One compulsion replaced by another one.
How is it a problem? Is a Quebec woman obligated to change her name ... and, if not, what's the problem? She can change her name or keep the one she was born with ... how many more rights does a woman from Quebec need? Do I have to be from Quebec to believe that I will have more rights if I automatically loose my name when I get married?
One more right … the right to choose. I assume that you have it.
On top of that, the article is just confused. It is not that women are forbidden from taking the names of their spouse, it is just that in Quebec, a name change is not automatic with a marriage. A spouse who wishes to take the partner's name must just apply like any other legal person. It is not a human rights issue at all but rather a question of civil convenience. Presumably in Quebec they decided that the allowance for an automatic name change implied that women should do it. So by making it somewhat difficult, they ensure that it truly is the woman's choice and not just a reflex from patriarchical tradition.
So no, I will not sign this survey. I think it is badly misguided.
Send an e-mail to Directeur de l'état civil du Québec to get informed. Tell them that you want to legally use your husband’s surname on all your official documents.
When I got married, my last name didn't automatically change and I don't live in Quebec. Where does a woman's name automatically change through marriage? I've been married but I don't want to change my last name ... university degrees are issued under a specific name ... changing the name screws up stuff like that.
In Quebec, the bride’s surname remains the same; it is not automatically changed…
Japan doesn’t seem to be that “screwed up”, and they also have university degrees…
Even in such a traditional society, today a couple can choose the family name they want to go by. It can be the man’s or the woman’s.
By the way, I think it's that way in most countries in the world anyway. I know the Chinese, Etheopians, many Arabs and many Persians keep their maden names too.
True, as in many cultures there is no equivalent of an English (western) “surname”.
But in numerous European cultures, a woman is allowed to legally use her husband’s surname.
I guess that some of the commentators are not of European stock, so this could be an obstacle in understanding the issue.
Traditionally, Arabs have not used family names in the Western manner and many still do not. Instead, in many cases, they simply add their father's first name or grandfather's first name.
These “sur”-names might be preceded by the “bin/ben (male)”, which means “son of” or “bint” which means “daughter of”.
Some Arabs go by their clan/tribe name.
In many Arab villages, people belong to the same clan, thus they have the same “surname”.
In some areas in India, the middle name is vital. In case of males, the middle name is his father's name while for females, the middle name is the husband's name.
As you might have observed, all Sikhs take the same second name: Singh meaning (lions). In the case of males, the third or last name is a caste name. In the case of females, the third name is often Kaur which identifies her gender.
So, as you can see, it’s like apples and oranges…
This petition is about the right to choose your surname upon marriage.
Why is this that difficult to accept?
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