“Bear my name”, this collective is campaigning to introduce a double name for children and to simplify the procedures for adding one of the two names.
“When we have a child, we do not plan to separate. As a mother, you can’t imagine having to justify your status, you can’t imagine it ”.
These are the words of Marine Gatineau Dupré, Co-founder “Bear my name”, a group wishing to modify the law in order to promote double names at birth and to facilitate the process to change the child’s family name in the event of separation.
Although it is possible to give the last name of any parent or to assign a double last name to the child, it is usually the last name of the father that continues to be transmitted. As a result, in France in 2019, 81.4% of babies born in France in 2019 have the paternal surname. 6.6% of the children bear only that of their mother, 9.1% the double name with that of the father first and 2.6% the double name with that of the mother first.
A personal story
Marine Gatineau Dupré did not choose this cause by chance, she militates knowingly. At the birth of her first child, “I did not ask myself the question of the name. For me, it was normal that it was the name of the father “. But, after his separation, his daughter did not bear his name, but only that of her father.
When she was married again and pregnant with her second child, Marine wanted to not make the same mistake and give her baby a double last name. Unfortunately, her partner was not of the same opinion and, when he went to declare the birth “He put his name, as well as the second and third names he had chosen. When he told me, it was very hard for me. I didn’t even want to leave the hospital. And I don’t think I could ever forget this betrayal “, she tells the Huffington Post.
Following a second separation, she has two children who have a different last name, and not hers. And it’s complicated !. “Having siblings who do not have a common name is difficult to live with. You have to constantly prove that you are the parent of your child”, she explains.
And this is valid for the slightest administrative process, from enrollment in school to trips abroad, including possible hospitalizations of the children.
“When we travel, we have to prove that we do not kidnap our children, show the family record book, and often we are asked for an authorization from the father”, while, to him, nothing is asked of him, specifies Marie Gatineau Dupré.
It is the same problem for unmarried couples and therefore one of the parents does not have the same surname as his child.
Many parents regret their choice
Thanks to a survey, Marine receives numerous testimonies indicating that she is far from being the only one in this situation. “In 85% of the testimonials we received, people regret their choice of name for their children. They are couples, married or not, fathers, mothers, grandmothers … his own suffering “, she explains. And she emphasizes: “In all the testimonies collected, we noted family pressure to pass on the father’s name. 13% of women explain that they did not have the choice of the name of their child “.
“Bear my name” to the solution
To add to the petition Created, the collective is working on the development of a decree “relating to the devolution of the family name in France”, drafted in collaboration with a member of the majority, which should be presented shortly to the government.
The text would make it possible to make automatic the double name at birth, the possibility of adding his filiation name to that of the other parent in the event of separation, and the possibility for the child to choose a name or both to his name. majority.
Pauline Gaudry
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