the committee added that without status as nationals or citizens women are deprived of the right to vote or to stand for public office and may be denied access to public benefits and a choice of residence an adult woman should be capable of requesting to change her nationality her nationality should not be arbitrarily removed because of marriage or dissolution of marriage or because her husband or father changes his nationality nationality is governed by the law of blood or by birth and by priority to the father over the mother some women lose their nationality when marrying foreigners