Reply to For women who didn't change their names, but gave their children their husband's last name...

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

There are many cultures where it's not the norm for the entire family to share the same surname. I'm Chinese and women are not expected to change their surnames upon marriage (though some do). Most women keep their "maiden" names. This is the norm in most Asian countries except for Japan. Dh is Hispanic and women are also not expected to change their surnames upon marriage. MIL/FIL have different surnames. It's a bit more complicated because children have a different combination of surnames from their parents. Dh only shares the same set of surnames with his brother.

Women changing their surnames upon marriage and that entire nuclear family having the same surname are subjective culturally specific traditions. Keep them or not for whatever reasons that make sense to you. It boils down to personal preference. But the the idea that these traditions are somehow universal or objective signifiers of family is absolutely absurd.

[/quote]

This.  Cultures are not monoliths.  Where I come from, we didn't even have a last name, just an initial.  And the initial was the first letter of the mother's family name.  A name is just a way to identify a person.  They or their families don't become any lesser just because their last names are different from what someone's expectations are, based on their own culture and personal values. [/quote]

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