What am I hearing? Again, since this is not 1808 and whereby the social norms were dictated, most women married because of the societal expectations: family, community, or religion. Think about it: women have always worked, first, they were teachers -- albeit some of them were waiting to marry, quit teaching, bear fruit, take care of the family, and be contented: that was their lot!
Fast forward -- it is 2008! My, we have come along way, baby -- or have we? To the men: men, why do you marry? One of my male friends said it was because of compansionship. I told him, "get a dog, at least the dog won't talk back!"
Is it for sex? Gee, there are plently of women, giving it away -- for free, of course! Since our technology has advanced (compare 1808 to present), men do not need women to cook for them, iron, clean, wash, or do the other mundane task usually attributed to the phrase: 'this is woman's work.'
If you married to procreate, the world is overly populated, now. Look at the Asian population: too many people. Now, the US birth rate maybe declining and that is good: less people, less services. However, if it is a man's ego to germinate his seed for the purpose of, let us just say, having a male heir to carry his name, and in my opinion, that is somewhat selfish.
Now, to the women. Women, you have more choices now than your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents had. Bless you if you have a happy, fulfilling, and productive marriage: it takes two people to make that work, not one! What message is women sending to this generation: get married and all is right with the world. Hell, no! That is not reality.
In my opinion (and no statistics have been done), some women cannot stand to be alone because they lack self-confidence, a.k.a., low self-esteem; they are tired of being a bridesmaid instead of a bride; they adore the title (Mrs). in front of their name; they want to please family, friends, and the community; in their minds they are aging out -- 30s or 40 -- and their so-called biological time clock is running down (men don't give a crap about a biological time clock running down because they keep on partying); women are afraid of socializing (unlike men) because of the above perceived pressures.
Therefore, if a man or a woman is not happy with himself or herself, no marriage can be successful because some men and some women (although they will not admit it) marry because they want someone else to make them happy. Marriage is not a guarantee of happiness, if it were, there would not be any divorces!
Nevertheless, if women are foolish to marry and men benefit from their need to be accepted and loved (love yourselves, women), then women should not complain if their marriage does not work. Remember, Princess Diana? If the rich and famous (they have money, prestige, name recognition) are divorcing, what makes the average Joe and Jane think they might have a go at it, especially when most marriages fail for two reasons: lack of communication and money problems.
Finally, as for me, I can do badly by myself. I do not need help. If a man cannot complement our relationship (I do not need him for money -- mere companionship), I have absolutely no need for him. Hell, no, I do not want any children from a man, either. I love the company of men but that is where it ends.
Finally, some people need to be realistic: there are some people in our society who should never be married, or for that matter, even dare have the audacity to have children because if those people were honest with themselves (a little introspection can go a long way: you do not need a therapist or a psychiatrist to tell you what you already know) -- people would come to the conclusion that... I would rather be alone and be happy, than to be with someone and be miserable. Amen!