[nking]

That’s a good compromise, keep both names. And the kids if any can start with the last names of the same sex parent then choose one or the other when they become adult. It’s easy enough to retire these aged concepts. In a way the marriage contract is a technology to be advanced. Perhaps there’s an opportunity for a startup here, marriage 2.0. Trouble is people will see the contract as negotiable from then on. Custom marriage contacts would become the norm leading to new lifestyles, perhaps including communal partnerships, and further, women would have a great deal more leverage depending on which variant of the marriage contract they are willing to accept. Although it could be said their bargaining power would be restored rather than increased since it was clearly taken from them in the past using religious shame tactics.

[tharkun__]

This in only Quebec AFAIK. But FWIW, Canada in general is pretty progressive that way. While actual marriage exists for those that want to, there's no reason to marry just because of tax advantages as there is in other countries. After a relatively short amount of time (a year or something like that) you can apply for a "common-law marriage" status and you basically get all the same things as if you were married.