Wordlab

Lucy Stoners: Women who choose not to use their husbands' surnames have been called "Lucy Stoners" ever since suffragette Lucy Stone accepted Henry Blackwell's proposal of marriage in 1855, writing,

"A wife should no more take her husband's name than he should hers. My name is my identity and must not be lost."

Henry agreed with her. "I wish, as a husband, to renounce all the privileges which the law confers upon me, which are not strictly mutual. Surely such a marriage will not degrade you, dearest."

Upon their marriage, they signed and published this protest against laws of the time in which women lost their legal existence upon marriage (coverture), and declared that they would not voluntarily comply with such laws. Coincidentally, Lucy was a Massachusetts liberal, and the first woman of the State to earn a college degree. She had a mind of her own, as they say, which was apparently unusual for women back in those days.

In the last half of the twentieth century, the subject of "maiden names" has been at the forefront of women's rights and the feminist movement, but also in the background of American views of the "sanctity of marriage" (a relatively modern term in the history of marriage).

There's an interesting article in Slate, which raises some of the history of "maiden names" in American society. It is noted that,

...until the feminism of the 1970s brought a resurgence of interest to the issue, almost all women, including highly educated career women, changed their names to their husband's when they married. Of course, the majority of these women were married before they were 23. Now that women marry later, and live more of their adult life with their maiden names, it can feel unnatural to assume another name, even for women who do not consider themselves feminists. Once you have "made a name for yourself" in the world it becomes more complicated, and even professionally damaging, to change it.

Although the trend now is toward flexibility and, in fact, more women in America are freely choosing to use the surnames of their husbands, there remains an organized resistance. Morrison Bonpasse, of the Lucy Stone League, which advocates allowing women the right to choose, is quoted recently as saying,

"There's a direct effect between women changing their names to their husbands'. It leads men to view women as their property and that's why they get upset when their property doesn't act like their other property."

I wouldn't know about that, personally. I am married to a Lucy Stoner.

Posted by abnu on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 @ 11:17 PM [ + ]

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