Why get married?

Not to throw a spanner in the works or anything, but why, in this modern day and age where co-habitation is so very trendy and acceptable, and where having a child out of wedlock is perfectly do-able, do so many people still opt for marriage?

It’s not as if women need the institution as they did in the old days, where men were their providers. We no longer live in the time of Jane Austen novels where bagging an eligible man was your life’s pursuit.

And we’ve left behind the rather uptight forties and fifties where booking into an hotel room without being ‘Mr and Mrs’ was frowned upon, and having a child outside of marriage, was a sure-fire way to ruin your reputation.

Even the sixties and seventies, despite the women’s liberation movement, still required hubby’s signature on a document if you wanted a bank account or a new car.

A 2008 British Social Attitudes Survey showed that almost two-thirds of people see little difference between marriage and living together. Cohabitation shows as much commitment as getting married.

So why the continued rush up the aisle?

There are a number of theories:

for religious reasons – marriage is a commitment before God; it elevates a commitment beyond human limitations and adds God to the equation
marriage is an expression of love and devotion to your partner, in a declarative way (making a public statement)
the wedding! Weddings are BIG and everyone loves a wedding. Be honest, would you get married if there was no promise of the ring, gown, flowers, fuss and party?
there are financial and legal advantages to getting married
a combination of love and social pressure (once your friends start walking down the aisle, you feel a similar obligation)