Bucking convention

For the majority of Western history, parents did not give much thought to a child’s surname because women would take the name of their male partner when they married and pass it on to their children.

However, the fact that the majority of people still choose to adhere to the patriarchal custom demonstrates how deeply ingrained this social norm is.

Matt Wallaert, an applied behavioral scientist who studies how identity-related pressures alter people’s behavior, asserts that “defaults are powerful.”