UseRealNamesForWomenDiscussion/Talk

MartinHarper -- Wed Jan 13 10:06:07 2010

In many cultures, women typically take their husband's name when they get married. Only 17% of women in the USA retain their unmarried surnames [1]. Women in these cultures are often raised to see their birth names as disposable and temporary. Resulting thoughts:

If I change my name on marriage or divorce, how easy will it be to change my UserName on a wiki? Will I have to update hundreds of pages? Will it even be possible? Will I need to post a marriage license as proof?
If I change my name on marriage or divorce, but keep the same name on a wiki, am I still using my RealName? Is my name now less real than a man who is using his legal name?
If I change the name of my HomePage, but leave signatures untouched, will this add to confusion for newcomers?
What's the point of building up a positive reputation in my real name, if I'm probably going to change it in the next decade or so anyway?
If I don't feel particularly attached to my birth name, because I see it as temporary, why would I attach my online reputation to it?
Do I want to announce changes in my marital status to the internet?