Sydney entrepreneur Cassandra Diamantis says she is grappling with whether to take her husband’s surname after their recent wedding, a decision she says could ultimately influence whether the couple have children.
Diamantis told Yahoo Lifestyle she has been in an “internal debate” since marrying Christian Dal Cin late last year, as she weighs tradition against her professional identity.
“I have a multi-six-figure business that I’m a CEO of. All of my clients know me by me. All of my business partners know me by me,” she said.
“I’ve established myself, and I feel really confident in who I am. And obviously an element of that is attached to my name.”
The 27-year-old said she agreed earlier in the relationship that she would change her surname, but reconsidered after the wedding.
While she wants to keep Diamantis professionally, she is conflicted about future children.
“There is that maternal instinct that, like, I don’t really want to have a different last name to the children,” she said.
Christian Dal Cin said the issue is deeply personal for him, citing his Italian family history. “If my grandparents were still alive, they would be offended,” he said. “They would feel disrespected.”
He acknowledged his view was “very old school” but said sharing a surname was essential to him.
He added that if the issue had been raised before marriage, it may have changed his decision to wed, and said, “If I don’t see a certificate with the surname, then I don’t want to have kids.”
Diamantis said she remains “passionate” about her surname and has rejected hyphenation or having separate legal and social names, saying it would make her feel like she was living a “split life.”
After sharing her dilemma online, she said she received strong reactions from women with varied experiences.
“I just think it’s so fascinating that women around the globe have had such different experiences,” she said.
“There’s not really a traditional approach anymore. I think there is beauty in the tradition. But times are sort of changing.”
Source: Yahoo!
