Recent research conducted by Rachael Robnett of the University of Nevada and published in the journal Sex Roles has unearthed some truly disheartening things about how whether a heterosexual woman changes her name upon marriage affects how people think of her husband. It’s yet another example of how sexism is bad for everyone, no matter what gender you identify as — and a reminder of how much work we still have left to do to dismantle the cultural tyranny of rigidly-defined gender roles.

What’s in a name? A lot, according to researchers from the University of Nevada.

What’s in a last name? Muscle, apparently. Men married to women who opt to keep their maiden names after tying the knot are often viewed as less masculine and lacking pants in the relationship, a new study finds.

According to a recent study by American researchers, married men who change their name to take their wife's name would lose their "dominant male" status within the couple. In contrast, wives who choose to keep their maiden name are seen as powerful and ambitious.

While most women still take their husband's surname after they marry, various alternatives have become more popular in recent years. Husbands take their wives' surnames, some couples combine their surnames and, of course, women are increasingly shunning the practice altogether and keeping their own names.

More than 80 per cent of Australian women take their husband's name when they marry. Each to their own, but this one has always puzzled me.

The findings published in Sex Roles: A Journal of Research suggest that when a married woman does not use the surname of her husband, people tend to view the man as effeminate.

While women are increasingly choosing to keep their maiden name after marriage, a new study suggests that this choice can influence how people look at the husband.