The rise in combined spouse names (e.g., a married Susan Harris is not "Susan Parker" but "Susan Harris Parker") strikes me as reminiscent of the feudal practice of combining estates by marriage, as in Gwendolyn of Farlough becoming Lady Gwendolyn of Magdeshire. The difference now is that the combined names are like tiny flags planted in estates the size of two people. The more profoundly individualized our society continues to be, the less secure people-- mainly women-- will feel in "losing their identity" in marriage. Is marriage just a small corporate merger?
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