No, I don't hate (disclaimer- nor have I ever been married). Just an observation. Based on....
I just see almost every marriage fail. And with each generation it seems to get more prevalent.
My mother told me a long time ago, that there are two main reasons that marriages fail: Disagreements over money and/or children.
Not that there's anything wrong with money OR children, but they both become things to fight over. (My wife and I both came from divorces that happened when were too young to remember)
I don't think I thought much of her comments at the time, but all these years later, what she said does appear to be true. I can only comment on what I see and what I'm exposed to in my little world of course;). A good friend of mine in his mid-30's is currently going through a really nasty separation...three young children, and no money. He is an absolutely fantastic father (from the little I see) but he's starting down a very difficult road.
I have no idea about what the laws are in the states...but here in Canada...it doesn't really matter whether a couple is married or not. Once two people are living together...according to every legal aspect, they ARE married.
The few couples that we know that are not married, are simply not married due to the costs involved. A wedding costs money.
The question was what is the point of getting married, what I said was now people who lived together now will have to get married to get benefits, a point to think about when asking about whether to get married or not.
That's interesting...
Are couples having to get married to get family medical insurance?
Of course things are different here in Canada with our so-called "free" healthcare, but we still do have separate medical / health insurance that we can buy through our employers or 3rd party...but there's no cost savings in being married. The price is the price, per person. I pay about $235/month for both my wife and I, and it covers all the extra stuff that our national healthcare program doesn't cover...dental, eye care, short and long term disability, etc.
My wife and I have been together for 18 years, and married for 16. We had a quick and dirty cheap JOP wedding that cost next to nothing. For me...I wouldn't necessarily say what is the point of getting married, but I would say hat is the point of a big massive expensive wedding when the money can usually be better used elsewhere.
Rem