The naming rights for a football stadium may cost millions of dollars. In the province of Anhui, couples may be offered money when they name their children after the mother. The new rule is causing controversy in the locality.

Changfeng County in east China's Anhui Province is currently implementing name reform. Couples giving the child the surname of the mother can receive an award of 1000 RMB ($162). Already 30 families have received the payment.

Whether the child should bear the family name of the father or the mother is not only a matter of debate in China. Globally, most children take the father's surname.

In the name of reform, the government of Changfeng aims to promote gender equality. The long-term goal is to reach a balanced number of male and female births in the area.

The reform is causing controversy: proponents emphasize its role in the promotion of gender equality, while critics think that the reform is an act of sex discrimination itself.

From a legal perspective, name-reform is highly questionable in Changfeng because according to Chinese law, the couple may decide for themselves whether their children take the family name of the father or the mother.

Linked to the discussion about naming in Changfeng is also the question of whether gender equality can be achieved through administrative procedures, or whether it needs more general social change. 

This article is edited and translated from 安徽长丰试点“姓氏革命”引热议 子随母姓奖千元, Source: Chinanews.com