Marital Name Changing: Delving Deeper into Women’s Reasons
ABSTRACT
Using a mixed method approach, this study examines women’s reasons for the traditional practice of marital name changing. We utilize data collected via a questionnaire administered to first-year college students at a southeastern US public university and data gathered from in-depth interviews with recent college graduates. The quantitative results show that the reasons given for marital name changing are closely tied to social norms. The results from the qualitative analyses reveal more specifically how social norms direct the practice of marital name changing. Together the findings show that women’s perceptions of their family’s expectations are a key reason motivating them to practice marital name changing. However, in both samples, respondents express mixed and sometimes inconsistent reasons regarding marital name changing. Respondents emphasize the importance of adhering to the tradition while also reporting that they did not consider marital name changing as an important issue. These findings indicate the multifaceted quality of the issue. Together, the results illustrate how social norms shape people’s personal decision about marital name changing while also showing how the decision made by people shapes society.
Using a mixed method approach, this study examines women’s reasons for the traditional practice of marital name changing. We utilize data collected via a questionnaire administered to first-year college students at a southeastern US public university and data gathered from in-depth interviews with recent college graduates. The quantitative results show that the reasons given for marital name changing are closely tied to social norms. The results from the qualitative analyses reveal more specifically how social norms direct the practice of marital name changing. Together the findings show that women’s perceptions of their family’s expectations are a key reason motivating them to practice marital name changing. However, in both samples, respondents express mixed and sometimes inconsistent reasons regarding marital name changing. Respondents emphasize the importance of adhering to the tradition while also reporting that they did not consider marital name changing as an important issue. These findings indicate the multifaceted quality of the issue. Together, the results illustrate how social norms shape people’s personal decision about marital name changing while also showing how the decision made by people shapes society.
Cite this paper
Keels, M. & Powers, R. (2013). Marital Name Changing: Delving Deeper into Women’s Reasons. Advances in Applied Sociology, 3, 301-306. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2013.37038.
Keels, M. & Powers, R. (2013). Marital Name Changing: Delving Deeper into Women’s Reasons. Advances in Applied Sociology, 3, 301-306. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2013.37038.
References
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http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/07/03/marriage-the-next-chapter/marriage-options-a-simple-hyphen-will-do [7] Garfinkel, H. (1967, 1984). Studies in ethnomethodology. Malden, MA: Blackwell. [8] Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Anchor. [9] Gooding, G., & Kreider, R. (2010). Women’s marital naming choices in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Family Issues, 31, 681-701. [10] Hoff, J. (1991). Law, gender, and injustice: A legal history of US women. New York: New York University Press. [11] Hoffnung, M. (2006). What’s in a name? Marital name choice revisited. Sex Roles, 55, 11-12. [12] Johnson, B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 55, 14-26. [13] Johnson, D. R., & Scheuble, L. K. (1995). Women’s marital naming in two generations: A national study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57, 724-732. [14] Kerr, A. M. (1992). Lucy Stone: Speaking out for equality. Rutgers University Press. [15] Kimmel, M. (2011). The gendered society (4th ed.). New York: Oxford. [16] Kopelman, R. E., Shea-Van Fossen, R. J., Paraskevas, E., Lawter, L., & Prottas, D. (2009). The bride is keeping her name: A 35-year retrospective analysis of trends and correlates. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 37, 687-700. [17] Million, J. (2003). Woman’s voice, woman’s place: Lucy Stone and the birth of the woman’s rights movement. Westport, Conn: Praeger. [18] Plano Clark, V. L., Garrett, A. L., & Leslie-Pelecky, D. L. (2010). Applying three strategies for integrating quantitative and qualitative databases in a mixed methods study of a nontraditional graduate education program. Field Methods, 22, 154-174. [19] Powers, R. S., & Reiser, C. (2005). Gender and self-perceptions of social power. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 33, 553-567. [20] Scheuble, L. K., Johnson, D. R., & Johnson, K. M. (2012). Marital name changing attitudes and plans of college students: Comparing change over time and across regions. Sex Roles, 66, 282-292. [21] Scheuble, L., & Johnson, D. R. (1993). Marital name change: Plans and attitudes of college students. Journal of Marriage & Family, 55, 747754. [22] Schutz, A. (1932, 1967). The phenomenology of the social world. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. [23] Smith, D. (1987). Everyday world as problematic: A feminist sociology. Boston Northeastern University Press.
[1] Berger, P., & Luckman, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York: Doubleday Anchor. [2] Blakemore, J. E. O., Lawton, C. A., & Vartanian, L. R. (2005). I can’t wait to get married: Gender differences in drive to marry. Sex Roles, 53, 327-335. [3] Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. [4] Cheshire, J., Longley, P., & Mateos, P. (2011). What’s in a surname? National Geographic, 20-21. [5] Emens, E. F. (2007). Changing name changing: Framing rules and the future of marital names. University of Chicago Law Review, 74, 761863. [6] Emens, E. F. (2011). A simple hyphen will do. The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/07/03/marriage-the-next-chapter/marriage-options-a-simple-hyphen-will-do [7] Garfinkel, H. (1967, 1984). Studies in ethnomethodology. Malden, MA: Blackwell. [8] Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. New York: Anchor. [9] Gooding, G., & Kreider, R. (2010). Women’s marital naming choices in a nationally representative sample. Journal of Family Issues, 31, 681-701. [10] Hoff, J. (1991). Law, gender, and injustice: A legal history of US women. New York: New York University Press. [11] Hoffnung, M. (2006). What’s in a name? Marital name choice revisited. Sex Roles, 55, 11-12. [12] Johnson, B., & Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Mixed methods research: A research paradigm whose time has come. Educational Researcher, 55, 14-26. [13] Johnson, D. R., & Scheuble, L. K. (1995). Women’s marital naming in two generations: A national study. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57, 724-732. [14] Kerr, A. M. (1992). Lucy Stone: Speaking out for equality. Rutgers University Press. [15] Kimmel, M. (2011). The gendered society (4th ed.). New York: Oxford. [16] Kopelman, R. E., Shea-Van Fossen, R. J., Paraskevas, E., Lawter, L., & Prottas, D. (2009). The bride is keeping her name: A 35-year retrospective analysis of trends and correlates. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 37, 687-700. [17] Million, J. (2003). Woman’s voice, woman’s place: Lucy Stone and the birth of the woman’s rights movement. Westport, Conn: Praeger. [18] Plano Clark, V. L., Garrett, A. L., & Leslie-Pelecky, D. L. (2010). Applying three strategies for integrating quantitative and qualitative databases in a mixed methods study of a nontraditional graduate education program. Field Methods, 22, 154-174. [19] Powers, R. S., & Reiser, C. (2005). Gender and self-perceptions of social power. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 33, 553-567. [20] Scheuble, L. K., Johnson, D. R., & Johnson, K. M. (2012). Marital name changing attitudes and plans of college students: Comparing change over time and across regions. Sex Roles, 66, 282-292. [21] Scheuble, L., & Johnson, D. R. (1993). Marital name change: Plans and attitudes of college students. Journal of Marriage & Family, 55, 747754. [22] Schutz, A. (1932, 1967). The phenomenology of the social world. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. [23] Smith, D. (1987). Everyday world as problematic: A feminist sociology. Boston Northeastern University Press.