Over 60% of Japanese Companies Allow Women to Continue Using Maiden Name in the Workplace

An online survey conducted by Teikoku Databank in early March 2025 found that 63.6% of the companies surveyed allow female employees to use their maiden names in the workplace, while 6.9% are considering allowing this option, for a total that exceeds 70%.

The breakdown of responses by company size shows that 77.2% of large companies allow women to use their maiden names, as compared to 61.4% for small and medium-sized companies, and 56.6% for small businesses. Among companies that allow women to use their maiden names, some of the reasons cited included the employees’ professional relationships with clients and career continuity, as well the need to respect personal autonomy and diversity with regard to individual identity and personal freedom. Meanwhile, among companies that do not allow this choice for female employees, one issue that was cited is the increased administrative burden that would result.

Among all companies surveyed, 50.7% said that adopting a policy of allowing women to use their maiden name would be “no burden,” while 13.6% described it as “a burden” or a “slight burden.”

Among companies that already allow the option to women, 65.6% said it was “no burden,” which is 14.9% more than the overall percentage.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)