When a woman decides to give up her career or her surname after marriage, it could be a choice and vice versa. I believe that there is no multiple choice given, but the only choice that makes a difference. When a woman gets married, her entire life changes entirely. She has a new home, a new family, and things change accordingly. However, the idea of giving up her career is against the choice of motherhood or having a family. Most presented arguments are choosing either of the two but not creating an environment to balance both.
Though the world is changing, there is still a hitch of holding women back and keeping them caged like society mentions. Contrarily, families do believe in educating women, but the idea of them working in corporate, law firms, or other industries is still a dream. The funny part is in-laws or a man’s family expects a woman to be educated but not working because how would she balance everything. In the modern world, if a woman does not know how to cook, it is a shock to the world because society’s expectations are too high.
Sometimes, it could be an expression of internalized patriarchy, as mentioned above. But while the patriarchy stands, women have found a way to fight back. In the modern world, it has become a trend to keep one’s surname along with a husband’s name.
In the end, I’d say that it is a choice in today’s world to give up a career or not because now you have the power to use technology and innovation for earning money. For example, you may freelance in any field, you can do affiliate marketing, or you can search for passive income methods. Earlier, the opportunities were fewer, but today, things have changed for the better. So one can work and earn well, even when one is at home!