It troubles me children automatically take man’s surname — Actress Kemi Akindoju

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9 months ago

Popular Nigerian actress, Kemi Lala Akindoju, has expressed concern over the societal norm of children automatically bearing their father’s surname.

The actress made this known in a recent post on her official X account.

According to her, the automatic assumption that children should adopt the father’s surname and state of origin, despite the woman enduring the pain of childbirth, troubles her deeply.

She also questioned the tradition of women changing their surname to that of their husband after marriage, noting that it does not align with scriptural references that suggest a man should cleave to his wife.

She suggested that instead of the woman adopting her husband’s surname, the couple should merge both their surnames to properly reflect the biblical concept of ‘two shall become one’ in marriage.

She wrote, “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.”

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