Ohhhhhh oicuateonetwo- I was right in there with you until you said men have no say in reproduction...

Here I am, a woman, saying it's just as crappy for women to get married as men, but it seems you are unaware or deliberately ignoring the fact?

Also, is it really necessary to paint yourself/men as the victim in response to women doing the same? Let's not fall into that type of dichotomous thinking. It doesn't do anyone any favours.

Saying that men have no say in reproductive matters is pretty hyperbolic. Men have lots of choice in reproduction. Condoms, vascectomy, just saying 'no'. Same as women. Women have lots of choice. They don't even need men anymore to reproduce, just a sperm donor. Neither partner is indisposable anymore. That's the harsh reality.

Men get the shaft financially if their wife asks for a divorce often, yes. Women get the shaft in terms of mental health and career development if children are born.

When it comes to the institution of marriage in today's society in the Western world, women and men keep trying to turn it into something it's not. Marriage has not and never has been about the pairing of equals, it's been about an exchange of assets, social climbing, and dynasty building. So if women and men want equality in a love relationship and family partnership- it's time to institute a new social contract. It's time to find a new path. Progress is already being made in the rise of blended families, as men and women are pairing up post-divorce and extending their families beyond the nuclear circle. Harder? Yes. Worth it? I sincerely think so.