Researching the situations experienced by female academics in academic life with the change of surname: A perspective from social work

The aim of this study is to examine the situations encountered by female academics working in universities in Turkey due to changes in their surnames from various perspectives and to reveal their expectations, needs, and demands regarding these situations from a social work perspective. Surnames hold great significance in academic work. Academics track their achievements through their surnames. While male academics typically publish their work under a single surname throughout their academic careers, this is not always the case for female academics. For female academics, any change in marital status often results in a surname change, which also alters the surname appearing in their publications. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 female academics working in universities across Turkey, and the data were analyzed using the MAXQDA program. By examining the conducted research and the relevant literature, the reflections of surname changes on both the academic and social lives of women were investigated. The research findings indicate that the changes in women's surnames due to changes in marital status have both positive and negative impacts on their academic and social lives. The results emphasize the importance of women having the right to make decisions about the use of their surnames. This study has revealed the significant impact of surname changes on female academics in terms of academic visibility, identity perception, and societal expectations. It emphasizes the necessity of addressing structural barriers that hinder women's ability to preserve their individual identities, maintain coherence in their academic work, and advance gender equality.