What is the point of marriage?

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Nowadays, unless you are religious i really don't see the point of marriage. Seems like a big waste of money, plus 50% end in divorce and it seems its just a day for the bride to show off. Why get married when you can just have a long term girlfriend?

IDK either.

Marriage is the socially recognition of a legal contract between spouses that establishes rights and obligations between them (paternity, sexual privilege, monetary support, et cetera) and between them and their children (paternity, sexual prohibition, monetary support, et cetera).

In other words, it establishes legal and financial obligations that can be prosecuted in court if broken or violated.

A man who wants to keep his freedom and money should avoid marriage, cohabitation, and the fathering of any children.

From a sentimental point of view, it's publicly stating that you pick one person over the other 7 billion or so on the planet.

From a logical point of view, there are hundreds of rights you get by being married -- you're entitled to make medical decisions, inherit your shared home tax-free, continue to care for your kids, get their life insurance and pension benefits. All stuff denied to gay couples until marriage equality happened!

It's a promise... To be faithful, loyal, and true...

Oh that's so sweet.

Yes, yes it is.

It's the reason why whatever everyone's feelings may be about marriage, all our hearts and best wishes go out to the old happy couple celebrating their 70th Wedding Anniversary.

There's a strong sense of romanticism about growing old together with someone very special and dear to you.

If your spouse has more than you and you divorce, you get half of everything, and probably some alimony along with it (that is assuming you didn't get a prenup, in which case, you're figgidy-fucked)

Marriage itself is not a promise. A promise is part of the marriage process, but a marriage is not required to make such a promise. In my country marriage is a legal/government thing, but largely irrelevant as de facto couples have almost the same rights (if not exactly the same rights, I can't remember where we are at now).

I don't see any point in marriage myself. I can certainly promise my partner that I will be loyal, faithful etc. while we are together, but I cannot promise that I will be with them for the rest of my life. That seems naive to me, as people and circumstances change throughout one's lifetime (as evidenced by the high divorce rates in many countries).

I would love it if I DID spend the rest of my life with one person, yes, that is a lovely idea. But I don't need a marriage in order to do that.

So the girl can look pretty in a white dress, the moms can cry, the bridesmaid can tear up giving a speech at dinner, the dancy music, the drunk dancer, the daddy dancer who sucks, the as*hole groomsmen who play a prank on the newlyweds and when it's all said and done, the new husband and wife can make love to hillbilly death metal screamo.

Thats why you get married.

But you can do that with a long term girlfriend lol. Plus 42% divorce rate for marriages in england. So nearly half of everyone married breaks that promise.

A person who doesn't want to get married must have some reason they don't want to - trust problems, commitment problems, etc. Not having a marriage leaves both parties open to be able to leave the other at any time. That person (for me) wouldn't be dependable.

Not necessarily. People can have the same kind of commitment without marriage, marriage is just a legal thing.

But you need to compare the divorce rates with the breakup raters for people cohabitating. I'm sure the latter are not better. Probably worse.

Absolutely. That's why I think breakup rates for people that are cohabitating are higher than those how are married. People that get married do commit more by the wedding vows, and also by inviting family and friends as witnesses to the wedding.

We are (most of us) independent, free-thinking adults, so being able to leave one's partner at any time seems to me to be the most ethical, rational way to go about relationships.

Two people are unmarried, allowing them to leave at any time, and yet they don't. Is not that a more meaningful form of commitment than one staying with the other potentially only because they feel obligated by law? If my partner stays with me despite being free to make up their own mind and leave at any point, I'd feel much more comfortable with that than the uncertainty of not knowing whether my partner is with me because they still want to be or because they married me so they feel they have to stay.