Why Are Men Not Addressed As ‘Husband Of’ In Legal Documents If A Woman Is ‘Wife Of’?

We are living in the 21st century where on one hand we just talk about equality, but patriarchy is deep rooted in the society, even in legal recognition, especially in documentation!

Until recent years, I never realized I was a feminist.

Raised in a small city, Chandigarh I was always taught that girls and boys are just two genders, while both have same responsibilities towards the society. Born to parents who were both professors by profession, this disparity was never introduced to me.

While my husband and I were doing some documentation which needed legal’s intervention, I was addressed as W/o (husband ‘s name) while my husband was addressed as S/o (his father’s name).

It might sound very normal to a lot of people, but come on – we are living in the 21st century where on one hand we just talk about equality, but patriarchy is deep rooted in the society, even in legal recognition, especially in documentation!

If I am w/o (husband’s name), should my husband not be referenced by h/o (wife’s name)? Or if he must be s/o (his father’s name), then I should be addressed as d/o (father’s name) just like before marriage. Though that is also problematic because then I am again recognised by my relationship with a male – my father. What about my mother?

The food for thought is that inspite of being a bread-winner along with the husband, we are not treated equally. Thus needs to stop.

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Image source: a still from Marathi series Aani Kay Hawa

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