Bola Afolabi
Popular actress, Kemi Lala Akindoju, has revisited the question of equality in marriage between the husband and wife.
She is challenging the necessity of a woman having to adopt the husband’s name once they get married.
According to her, there is nowhere in the Bible where this is commanded.
Akindoju situates the practice as an instance of the relegation she feels her gender suffers in marriages.
She reflects in some online posts (stet): “Honestly, if we really want to follow “2 shall become 1”, the couple should merge both surnames. I still question the children automatically coming from the man’s state of origin, his surname, and the fact that the man “owns” the child. The whole thing messes with my head so much, yet it’s the woman who physically goes through a life transforming process to birth the children. Yet, she’s relegated. I may not have the answers, but it troubles my entire being and I am yet to find the scripture that says the woman must take the man’s name. Scripture actually says the man cleaves to the woman (but what do i know).
“Most importantly a woman should be allowed to choose. Whether she wants to change her name or not or compound it. It’s sha somehow that boys are never raised to think their identity will change, but just because of a woman’s gender she’s raised/socialized to know that she shouldn’t get too comfortable with a name and identity she’s known all her life. I don’t have the answers, but I strongly question this practice.”
Her posts have, expectedly been generating mixed reactions.
One area experts may, however, also want to investigate is whether the marital law compels a woman to change her name.
Some, including a celebrity like acclaimed actress, Joke Silva, actually do retain their maiden names.
