When I proposed to my partner, Greg, I couldn’t get down on one knee because I was floating.

When I proposed to my partner, Greg, I couldn’t get down on one knee because I was floating.

Last month, a number of female writers, producers, and assistants started using the hashtag #NotWorthLess to share their experiences being paid less than their male counterparts. Amid the many tweets, Fox’s Family Guy writer Patrick Meighan posted a message of his own, calling for men in the entertainment industry to take a more active stand in fighting for equality.

According to one study, published in the journal Sex Roles, it was found that those who retained their own surnames after getting hitched are perceived as being more powerful, more ambitious and enjoying more autonomy within a marriage, while their husbands are seen to be ‘submissive’, ‘timid’ and ‘understanding’.

A woman changing her last name after her marriage has been a part of the tradition in most places across the world. Until the ninth century, the idea didn’t even surface in English common law, when lawmakers began to consider the legalities surrounding personhood, families, and marriage.

Shortly after Cameron Smith and Charlotte Peverett tied the knot 10 years ago, Cameron proposed that he take his wife's surname.

While many of marriage's fundamental elements have evolved over the years – the freedom to separate, the legalisation of same-sex marriage in numerous countries and prenuptial agreements –one thing that has been slow to evolve is the changing of surnames in heterosexual unions. But things are beginning to change, with a number of men deciding to take on their wives' surnames in some form.

These days many women keep their own name when they marry, and couples are increasingly opting for a double-barrelled or merged name. But men who take their wife's surname are still quite rare. Kirstie Brewer spoke to three.