>There are a lot of benefits to marriage, especially if you have a dual income marriage. For example, if one of you loses their job, you go to 50% of your normal income, rather than 0%.

>The benefits of support and encouragement from a spouse are also real.

Neither of those are exclusive to marriage. Unmarried couples typically operate in a similar manner.

In a marriage, you can go to court and force your partner to hand over a portion of their income / savings. Unmarried couples can’t do that. Life is easy and no one needs to make things official when everything is hunky dory, otherwise you need contracts.

There's also the simple fact that marriage usually improves upward economic mobility and even outright creates wealth in some cases:

* If you're both employed, the higher earner could potentially be pulled down into a lower tax bracket

* If at least one spouse is salaried, the employer's insurance can often be shared at a reduced cost

* If both are salaried, the market of insurance policies you have to choose from essentially doubles

* If you're renting, you can essentially halve the cost of living (assuming dual income of some kind)

* If you're looking for a car or home, you can usually qualify for better loans (assuming neither spouse is a credit disaster)