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Japan upholds rule that married couples must have same surname
Source: The Guardian
Japan upholds rule that married couples must have same surname
Court decision is a setback for campaigners who argued 19th-century law violates
civil rights and in practice forces women to take their husband’s name
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Wednesday 16 December 2015 09.31 GMT
apan’s supreme court has ruled that a 19th-century law forcing married couples to use the same surname – almost always that of the husband – does not violate the constitution.
The court’s ruling on Wednesday will be seen as a setback for women’s rights in Japan, just as the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, pushes for a greater role for women in the workplace to boost economic growth.
In a minor victory, however, the country’s top court said that a second legal provision preventing women from remarrying for six months after they divorce violates the constitution’s commitment to gender equality. But the court said that a remarriage ban on women of up to 100 days was reasonable, according to Kyodo News.
The same-name ruling came in response to a lawsuit by five women who argued the requirement, as stipulated in the 1896 civil code, violates married couples’ civil rights.
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Court decision is a setback for campaigners who argued 19th-century law violates
civil rights and in practice forces women to take their husband’s name
Justin McCurry in Tokyo
Wednesday 16 December 2015 09.31 GMT
apan’s supreme court has ruled that a 19th-century law forcing married couples to use the same surname – almost always that of the husband – does not violate the constitution.
The court’s ruling on Wednesday will be seen as a setback for women’s rights in Japan, just as the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, pushes for a greater role for women in the workplace to boost economic growth.
In a minor victory, however, the country’s top court said that a second legal provision preventing women from remarrying for six months after they divorce violates the constitution’s commitment to gender equality. But the court said that a remarriage ban on women of up to 100 days was reasonable, according to Kyodo News.
The same-name ruling came in response to a lawsuit by five women who argued the requirement, as stipulated in the 1896 civil code, violates married couples’ civil rights.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/16/japanese-court-rules-married-women-cannot-keep-their-surnames
