It may be a yes or no question, but it really isn’t that simple. To illustrate, we’ve asked a few women about their opinions on the subject.
But first, are women even legally required to change their surname?
Nope. Women are not legally required to take their husband’s surname. Our law states that “a married woman has the option, but not a duty, to use the surname of the husband.” So yes, women can keep their maiden names. But should any woman wish to do otherwise, Article 370 of the Civil Code of the Philippines actually provides options.
First, she can use her maiden first name and surname, then add her husband’s surname. A second option is to use her maiden first name and her husband’s surname. And, believe it or not, there’s also the option to use the husband’s full name prefixed by a word indicating that she is the wife. That means Juan Dela Cruz’s wife can be legally and literally known as Mrs. Juan Dela Cruz.
We asked women for their opinion
To get a more personal look, we asked five women if they will keep their maiden names upon marriage. Of the five, two say they’ll be keeping their maiden names.
For Jenny, 28, she admits she’s not aware of the legal implications but she’s open to keeping her maiden name simply because she doesn’t want to have to update all her existing documents. On the other hand, for Phoebe, 24, she wants to keep her maiden name and simply affix her husband’s surname to her last name.
“I take pride in my name and it has something to do with my identity,” she explains. “I don’t want to lose my name, my identity after I get married. I feel like changing my surname equals a whole new person.”
Tina, 33, wants to do the opposite, sharing that taking her husband’s last name symbolizes her commitment to him as a life partner. For Midz, 26, her reason is actually more because of the society we live in. “If I’m getting married to my current boyfriend, it’s better to have a Pinoy surname than a Chinese one,” she shares. “He also wants me to take his surname.”
In the case of Tania, 25, her preference for taking her husband’s surname has a lot to do with her upbringing. “I didn’t grow up with my dad so I don’t have any special love or respect for it,” she says of her surname. Growing up, she was the only person she knew that had her last name because her dad wasn’t around. “I’ll take my husband’s last name for sure because I want to be part of a family.”
How about the other ladies out there? Will you take your husband’s surname or not? Let us know in the comments!
