lol @ Assertn... It could be the other way round in the case of the now divorced Mrs Roman Abramovich!

Different goverments would have different views on marriage. That's why I don't support the taxes/grants/free money theory... if that's why you are getting married then you might be in a for a nasty shock if a new government comes in to power and changes the policies of the previous one.

You can't view marriage in isolation. Marriage is part of a social system of regulating relationships between men and women. It will only work in a society where extra-marital sex, unmarried cohabiting couples etc are not allowed. Marriage helps to establish roles and responsibilities in the relationship and as an institution in wider society also. Its the antithesis of freedom and contradicts this concept.

You can't have a society believing in sexual freedom and at the same time expect marriage to work. If you don't do things like forbid adultry and fornication then marriage loses its value. You could of course always get married in such a society, but it is merely a token gesture if you hold on to the aforementioned values.

Who needs to get married if you can just grab a gf/bf?