Birth vs marriage surname - first time ever!

[DivinityMum]

I was in the midst of doing a DBS application form, and this comes up!

A birth surname MUST be recorded if I am not a "Miss"? I am married AND I keep my birth surname. Whatever happened to the improving world of women's choices.. Sheesh!

They just want to make sure that you didn't change your name when you married because it us so common. Calm down.

So does everyone who changes their name as an adult have to record the name change, or just women who use a title other than 'miss'?

What if a woman is 'Dr'. Do men who are 'Dr' have to record their birth name and their name now?

There's usually a separate 'previous names' box. It sounds like they're just prompting you to fill that in.

My mum, for instance, would never think to fill in her maiden name in that box because she got married so long ago, and because she's not consciously changed her name... that's just what happened in her day.

I'm usually up for getting annoyed about these things (you should have seen my complaint letter to John Lewis when they automatically sent out wedding gifts from our list to Mr and Mrs X), but this just seems practical.

It's a bit bizarre though - plenty of Mrs and Ms don't change their name, and there must be a non-trivial number of Miss/Master/Ms who do.

Why on earth enforce that rule, rather than just emphasise the importance of the previous names box?

They just want to make sure that you didn't change your name when you married because it us so common. Calm down.

Yes, calm down. Just ignore the blatant sexism that one you are too stupid to know if you changed your name and 2 no woman could have ever changed title and become a doctor without changing her surname.

It's a very stupid guidance note, and it's surprising to see it on such a crucial document.

I'm sure I've got a dbs form somewhere. Might go check it and see. If that's the usual guidance they really need to update it, what with it being completely unfit for purpose.

I'm a Ms and always have been but have changed my surname twice.

There must be thousands of people who have not changed surname but do fit the descriptor "female but not Miss" (Ms, Dr for starters, and anyone who chose Mrs and kept their maiden name)

and also lots who do not fit the descriptor but have changed their name (e.g. Divorced and reverted to Miss Maidenname, men who take their spouse's surname on marriage, all the people who hyphenate, same sex marriages where a spouse changes name etc etc)

How ridiculous, DD has never been married and lives with her partner. She has never changed her surname, but decided recently on reaching 25 that it was time to change her title to 'Ms'. We both find 'Miss' a little juvenile.

So because of that she now has to enter her surname in the 'previous names' box? That's quite sexist, what about a man who has decided to change his surname? They should be more interested in that.

Calm down.

Yeah. Don't get emotional. You're sounding hysterical. Could you stop screeching and nagging and harping on? Calm your tits. Is it your time of the month?

You'd catch more flies with honey than vinegar you know. Stick some lippy on and plaster a sweet smile on your face and do that little extra bit of work because you don't have a penis.

Thanks all. I was beginning to think after the first PP that I was being irrational, but it makes no sense that the system does not allow me to continue without giving a surname.

I don’t think there was an option of Dr in the titles list too, just Mr, Miss, Mrs and Ms. I picked Ms.