> And it’s voluntary. If you don’t want a marriage, don’t have one. Tell that to Australia and New Zealand where de-facto relationships (legally equivalent to

> And it’s voluntary. If you don’t want a marriage, don’t have one. Tell that to Australia and New Zealand where de-facto relationships (legally equivalent to marriage) occur automatically when you've been living together for 3 years or so. Some people can fall into it unaware but I know of people who intentionally dumped their partner just before the time limit to protect their property. I don't know why it works like this but it seems like whoever wants marriage for people in general wants it more than each individual participant does, so it might be for a societal rather than individual benefit.