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According to a government resolution, women in Maharashtra can now use their father's name in official documents. But why not the mother's?
According to a government resolution issued in Maharashtra, women can now use their father’s name in official documents. But why not the mother’s?
Women in Maharashtra can now use either their father’s name or husband’s name on all official documents. However, children will be able to use either their mother’s name or father’s name.
This is in accordance with the third women’s policy, 2014, cleared by the state cabinet. In case a woman faces a problem, exercising this choice she can complain to the district collector.
Whether women should use their maiden names after marriage and whether children should use their mother’s names, has been a hot debate since years. But now with the emergence of this new government resolution, women in Maharashtra can confidently use their father’s names and retain their identities and children can proudly use their mother’s name in official documents.
This is a step towards change, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Women have been given the power to choose the name they desire, either the father’s or husband’s. Now, it would be a personal choice.
While this news is welcome, it would also be fruitful if this kind of resolution is issued in other states as well, because women all over India would love to enjoy this new change in the system. Another point that crosses my mind is, why is a woman is allowed to use only her father’s name in the documents? Why can’t an adult woman be allowed to use her mother’s name?
In my opinion, every woman would love to use her mother’s name as mothers play a significant role in their daughter’s lives. Why is that the descent is always assumed to be from father to daughter? Mothers play a vital role in the child’s upbringing, from keeping the child in her womb for nine months, to making sacrifices in her personal life and career choices. It’s only fair if a woman can also use her mother’s name as it would give equal weightage to the mother too.
The usage of names should be a personal choice for both the genders. Nonetheless the emergence of this new resolution in Maharashtra is welcomed and it would probably cause a chain reaction for other states to follow suit. This resolution is a step forward towards gender equality, however there is more room for change.
Image Source – Shutterstock
Diana has worked as an Editor/Writer and Content Manager for various digital platforms and hopes that each word written in this space supports, motivates and inspires her readers in India or across seas. Besides read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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