Factors Associated with Hamilton, Ontario Women's Marital Surname Change Attitudes

Abstract

132 female, never-married, undergraduate psychology students were surveyed regarding attitudes concerning taking their husband's surname upon marriage. It was hypothesized that approval of such a surname change would be associated with their views on (1) resource transfer from, and involvement with, in-laws, and (2) the importance of high resource potential in a candidate husband. Lesser approval of taking husband's surname was significantly predicted under OLS regression by desire for in-laws to be uninvolved with the newlywed couple and their children. The importance of resource-holding potential in a candidate husband was a marginally significant predictor, moderated by the women's own mothers' taking of their fathers' surnames, as well as by how emotionally close these women were to their mothers. Retaining or hyphenating one's pre-marital surname among brides marrying in Hawaii in 2006, was significantly correlated with average income of women and the average income of men in the bride's state of residence, with only that of women, however, being a marginally-significant predictor where both were used as regression predictors of retention or hyphenation. Older brides were more likely to hyphenate or retain their pre-marital surnames upon marriage in Hawaii in 2006.