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Name change tricky for working women [I guess the change is simpler for the lazy bums who can't find a job?], at CNN.com/living [where the Women's issues are shoved] via AngryBlackBitch.
Well before her wedding, Lauren Abraham decided she would take her husband's last name, Mahoney.
First, she became Lauren Abraham Mahoney, then Lauren Mahoney, confusing her co-workers at Home Depot headquarters in Atlanta. The tedious legal process of switching her name took about nine months to complete.
Finally, more than a year after her wedding, the 29-year-old e-mailed 160 friends and acquaintances to alert them to a new e-mail account and clarify her identity.
"As I was meeting people over the last year with my new name, and I gave them my e-mail address, it was my old name, which they didn't know," she said.
Changing one's surname after marriage is still more common than not for women, often because they hope it will make for fewer complications in the long run, when they have children.
Except for the fact that 1 out of every 2 married couples will get divorced, and the husband, the wife and the kids might all end up with different names.
Leslie Levine, a health policy analyst, took a more gradual approach when she changed her name twice for two marriages over six years. She first used her maiden name as a middle name so the network of contacts she built up could find her.
After "two marriages over six years", one would think the impracticality of changing your name multiple times would sink in.
"There are costs of keeping your name and costs of changing your name and it's a matter of balancing the two," said [Harvard economist Claudia Goldin].
Other tips for changing your name after marriage include:
• Don't throw your old driver's license away for at least six months. It will help when traveling. Hotels, airlines or car rentals may have your old information, especially if you're using a travel agent through work.
• If you travel internationally, make sure your passport matches your ticket. A new passport can be ordered in the mail.
• Order extra certified copies of your marriage license. You'll need one when you change your name with Social Security.
• Change your Social Security card through the mail by downloading an application the Social Security Administration Web site. It may take longer, a few weeks, but you won't need to take a day off from work.
• Remember to change the title to your car, your voter registration, bank accounts, credit cards and subscriptions. Notify your college alumni office, frequent flier programs, etc.
That doesn't sound complicated at all! What I want to know is, Ms. Goldin, what exactly is the cost of keeping your name? The quiet disapproval of your uptight family and friends? Because you're going to get that no matter what you do.
I have been pondering this question for the past month, ever since another of my female Facebook friends got married, changed her name, and made me question yet again, "who the heck is so-and-so, and why is she my Facebook friend?" It's not like these people have distinctive first names, like AnnaSophia or Weeping Willow. So when they change their last names, their past identity is practically erased. They are now someone's wife, not an individual with a valid, vibrant past. Luckily these friends can't see me in person, because the disappointment is written all over my face. It's so sad.
I have many complex issues wrapped up in this name-changing situation, so come along with me for the ride. The train stops here for today, but next week, we will continue to chug along. Choo-choo!
