Women's rights activists in Japan renewed their demand Wednesday for the government to allow married couples the option to keep both of their surnames, saying the current practice in which most women face social pressure to adopt their husbands' surnames — a prewar tradition based on paternalistic family values — widens gender inequality.
At a rally marking International Women's Day, representatives from dozens of women's rights groups delivered a joint statement to lawmakers urging them to do more to change the 125-year-old civil code, which forces married couples to choose one surname.
