Name-change study

Bimbi284

So while this study may have had limitations (other than the silly ones presented by this journalist), its still interesting!

http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/economy/are-maiden-names-really-worth-500000-1303694755959/

mysticatgal

That is a bit interesting.  That is one thing I am super excited to do is to change my name, I have the same name as at least thousands of people and hate it!

EmilyCMN

I guess I am a bit skeptical of this study. If you think about who chooses to keep their name it is generally either someone who has made a name for themselves and doesn't want to lose that or someone who really loves their maiden name. I guess I am also on the traditional side where I want my name to match my childrens' names in the future. I don't think it will hamper my career at all to change my name nor do I think leaving it the same will improve my career.

tegdirb2001

I agree with PP...I am so excited to change my last name also.  I have the same last name as too many people also!!!!  I like change

jmkaiser

I'm actually not looking forward to changing my name. FI and I googled my current name and he was not able to find me online (which I really like). However, we googled my soon to be name and there was no one. I don't like that it would be easier to find me. I feel like I have a strong name and am pretty reluctant to change it:(

kgettingmarried

It's a Dutch study first of all, so there's a culture difference there, and second of all the respondents studied were students.

The students know nothing.  They are students.  The people interviewed were not managers or professionals in any field, they were college students.  Or maybe even high school students, I don't know if it says which.

The study's results are irrelevant since the people surveyed are not in the professional realm.  Therefore their responses cannot be used to justify anything in that realm since the two are not related.

Bimbi284

I agree K, which is why I started with the limitations disclaimer. It would still be interesting to see this study replicated in other countries/cultures using participants from a wider range of backgrounds and experiences. I can imagine that some cultures would have very different views of a female who didn't take her husband's name.

PaddyB

I think the difference in income (at the beginning of the article, which is not dependent on student opinion) has more to do with the fact that the woman who did notchange their name tended to have a higher education level. I would guess they also tended to be slightly older when they married, and may have developed a professional reputation that they did not want to lose/confuse by changing their name.

I think the study appears to confuse causation and correlation based on the opinions of students who have no real world experience.

I have an undergraduate degree and a law degree that have my maiden name on them. I still havent decided whether I'm going to change my name.

quincygirl77

I agree there are are some major limitations with the methodologies used in this study.  However, if it is true maybe I can pay off my student loans quicker!?

My professional degree is in my maiden name and keeping it is important to me.  To each their own though, I like that we live in an age where we can choose.

acw016

Interesting article, thanks for sharing! I fall into the older bride with a professional reputation category but I think I would have kept my name even if I wasn't at this point in my career. I'm still trying to talk him into taking my name but I don't think that's going to happen. Ah well, the feminist in me can't help but trying!