Para el curso de 1º Bachillerato hemos trabajado el tema del apellido en el caso de las mujeres anglosajonas y como tradicionalmente al casarse adoptaban el apellido del marido perdiendo el de soltera: maiden name. Hoy en día en EEUU es muy flexible: muchas mujeres "hyphenate" sus apellidos (se ponen el apellido suyo de soltera separado con un guión con el de su marido). Lo más normal es que los hijos adopten el apellido de su padre pero se acepta, aunque es menos común, que adopten el de su madre también.

En cuanto al título, muchas mujeres optan por "Ms." delante de su nombre o nombre y apellido en lugar de los tradicionales "Miss" (soltera) o "Mrs." (casada) para no tener que indicar su estado civil ya que lo consideran machista pues el hombre con indicar "Mr." no da claves sobre el estado civil.

Texto: THE NAME GAME

In the past, when women got married, they usually had to change their surnames. Today, however, there are other options women can consider. A couple may choose to each keep their original names, or to use both names together. These solutions mean that women are able to keep part of their identity. However, things might get confusing in the future, when the couple has children. We asked some women what they thought:

"I shouldn't have changed my name. I don't have any brothers, and now there's no one left with our family name".

"It must have been much easier in the past, when people didn't have to make all these decisions! In my family, children and parents will all have the same surname: his."

"I could have changed my name, but I'm glad I didn't. Now my old friends can still find me on Facebook!"

Se crea un debate sobre el tema.

Se les muestra una conversación real del profesor con una amiga americana via messenger sobre el tema:

Hi Tre!

Just a cultural question... Last Wednesday, we read in class an article on surnames and how traditionally women used to take their husband's in English-speaking countries and how this has been changing over the last decades. We mentioned that some women keep their maiden names in the first place and then their husband's for instance. And then I thought of you and I told my students: I'm gonna ask my friend Teresa about her own particular case!" I'm pretty sure you kept your maiden name but I don't know if you added your husband's to yours and I also would like to know if your kids have both surnames or only their father's. Can you tell me if there's any other possibility applied to surnames? Thanks a lot.   Matt.

Hi!

I kept my name only. My kids have their father's name only. Some people hyphenate them (ex- Light-Smith) so then both parents and kids all have the same name which is more common than what I did. But since both our names are loing, we didn't want any of us to have LONG surnames. The most common (still) is for women to take the man's name except some of us crazy feminists! Then there are people like my brother whose kids have his wife's last name only so he is the only one one in the family with his last name (this is not common). Some people will be creative and make a new last name using both surnames. And other will give some children the mom's last name and some kids the dad's last name. Tre.

So confusing! Haha! Thanx  so much for the info! Matt.