Czech Republic women aim for equality

Surnames could change in Czech - 28th June 2021

Women in the Czech Republic may soon be able to change their surnames.

Because of Czech grammar, most women's surnames end with "-ová". If a man called ‘Mr Novak’ has a sister, she is called ‘Ms Novaková'.

Many women would like to be free to choose the same surname as a man. They think the situation is unfair. Recently, an exception was made for women who have married foreign men.

Slovakia is the Czech Republic's neighbour. It used to be a single country with the Czech Republic. In Slovakia, all women have the choice. Women can choose to keep the masculine form of their surname.

The politician Helena Valková is asking for change. She says the situation is unequal. She is hoping parliament will agree a new law. This will allow women to choose for themselves. The law would permit all women to use the masculine form of their surname. The new law passed the first vote by 91 votes to 33.

But not everyone agrees with this change. Some people think the current rules are fine. They say these rules are part of the grammar of the language. They say change will make people confused.

Now, the law has moved to the Senate. The Senate will discuss all these arguments. It will then vote to accept or reject the new law.