Marriage:

~ Men are competing for sex & Women are competing for commitment:

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Gia Macool:

Ever wonder why women flood social media with wedding photos? Because for a woman, marriage means being “chosen.” Society frames it as “love,” but it’s always been about status. Marriage works like a badge. A married woman is seen as “chosen,” a married man as “capable.” In her mind, she is now valuable, worthy of protection, provision, and legitimacy. That badge shields her from being labeled “undesirable,” “unwanted,” or “just a mistress.” It’s also why many married women look down on those who aren’t. Men use it too. For them, the badge says, “I can provide. I’m respectable. I’m not drifting with no direction.” To society, it signals maturity, stability, and leadership. But let’s be real none of this equals truth. Historically, marriage was a tool. Religion and culture used it to control people, organize families, and keep property, wealth, and reputations in order. That’s why people still ask, “When are you getting married?” If you don’t have an answer, they look down on you. Reality: marriage today is more about public perception than love. Real love doesn’t need a badge and it definitely doesn’t care about anyone else’s approval. Those who live by their own choices win."

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"Social signaling: Right – marriage has always carried symbolic weight. For women, historically, it meant security and legitimacy; for men, capability and respectability. That hasn’t fully disappeared.

Cultural inertia: The constant “When are you getting married?” reflects how deep marriage is woven into tradition, religion, and family structures. People project their own expectations onto others.

Status vs. substance: The “badge” idea captures how marriage can be used to project an image, regardless of the underlying relationship. Social media amplifies this signaling.

Shifting norms: In many places, marriage is losing its monopoly. Cohabitation, chosen singleness, and non-traditional partnerships are gaining legitimacy, though stigma still lingers.

Love ≠ marriage: Love can thrive without a certificate; marriage can exist without love. The two only overlap when people intentionally align them."

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"Economic capacity: In most historical societies, men married only when they could support a household. That meant land, a trade, or wealth. Poor men often stayed unmarried or married much later.

Social rank: For elites, marriage was less about love and more about alliances. A man’s family had to be “capable” of offering status, property, or influence.

Reputation: A man had to be seen as stable, responsible, not a drifter. In many towns or villages, community approval mattered as much as personal readiness.

Demographics: In some times and places (e.g., medieval Europe), there were more men than women, meaning not every man could realistically expect to marry.

So historically, marriage was often a marker of capability — but defined narrowly: the ability to provide, maintain property, and uphold social expectations."