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Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate News Lessons

Category: Relationships Lessons

Written by Chris Cotter

In many countries, the woman changes her name when she gets married. Based on tradition, she takes her husband's family name. However, long ago, this meant that the woman had become the property of her husband. Times have definitely changed.

Thankfully, the original purpose has been forgotten in most countries. Women have greater independence and pursue careers, something that was far less common fifty, one hundred, or even more years ago. These days, women opt to keep their pre-marriage identity rather than change their name. They either keep their maiden name or use a hyphen to add their husband's name to theirs.

However, if a man wants to take his wife's name, the process is very ridiculous and time consuming. Michael Buday discovered that he needed to pay more than $300 in licensing fees. He also needed to advertise the change in a newspaper for four weeks. And lastly, he needed to get a judge's approval too. Many other states in the US have similar, old-fashioned policies.

Michael Buday had never thought about a name change before he met Diana Bijon. When she mentioned the idea while they were dating, he wholeheartedly agreed.