I still maintain that marriage can be an economically smart move for a rational guy, IN SOME SITUATIONS. Of course, situations where you know you're marrying a woman who makes more than you marriage is rational. That goes without saying, just look at the Russel Brand/Katy Perry divorce. But I'm not talking about these rare cases. I'm talking about the situation most guys find themselves in.

Suppose the following (fairly common) situation. Right now, I make substantially more than my girlfriend. She has a decent job, but let's say I'm a lawyer or some other high paying profession. If we got married, it's likely that she would become a stay-at-home mother when we had kids. This last statement is the origin of the 2 benefits of marriage.

Being married is good if you plan to have kids. Conforming to the social norms we have will help your kids while growing up, avoiding shame and all that. "Think as you will, but act as others do".

The second main benefit is for tax purposes. If you have a good paying job and your wife stays home with the kids, filing jointly will likely save you a good amount of money. This adds up over the years.

Now, the main critique of marriage comes from the fear of losing money in a divorce. This can be mitigated substantially by a prenuptial agreement. For some illogical reasons, I've seen a lot of hate for prenups on this subreddit. They really DO work, you just need to get them done right (have a lawyer draw one up). You CAN guarantee things like limitations on alimony so that she would only get any if denying it to her would render her completely destitute. There are options, you just have to seek them out.

Some guys will still choose not to get married, and that's fine. I'm just advocating a lessening of the hate marriage is getting. It's worth noting that I would only suggest getting married if you've been dating for 5 years. There's no real rush to do it, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.