The majority of women in western countries change their surnames when they get married, but for most of human history that would have been a totally foreign concept. In this episode, I explore the naming conventions of women in ancient Greece, Rome, and China, none of whom took their husband's names at marriage. Then I move on to why the practice got started in Europe, and how feminists in France, Germany, England, and the USA fought back. I also explore how Mistress became Mrs and then Miss and then Ms.
This is the final episode of series 9: The History of Getting Hitched. After today I am on break until April to prepare the next series.
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