Or perhaps marry the kitten...

Bum bum baaahhh

This was worded terribly, comparing a person to cakes and cows, ridiculous and objectifying. If the boyfriend isn't afraid of losing her, even though they're not married, isn't that a good thing? He trusts her and feels stable, which is what makes a good marriage. If you marry a person because you're worried about them leaving you for someone else, you don't trust them, and you're not ready to get married. A marriage doesn't stop a person from leaving, it just makes it a longer process. "He gets all he wants without having to put a ring on it," well if he thinks this way, he shouldn't be getting married, he's too selfish. It isn't all about what you want and get, in a relationship, you need to consider your partner's wants too. Also, "if you get the milk for free why buy the cow," I hate this saying, she shouldn't have to withhold herself and her needs just to push her boyfriend in a corner and force her will to get what she wants, that's unfair to both of them. What they need to do is communicate, not think in outdated, 1950s, metaphorical thought processes.

right, because nothing makes for a good marriage like a proposal that is made only because the woman denied him sex to force him to get married....

For clarification- by becoming another statistic I mean they got divorced. Just in case anyone was confused by my vagueness.

I have to disagree with you. Generally, people date to get the end result of marriage. It's an extra step in commitment. It is so much harder (and costlier) to split when you're married. I kinda feel as if my husband thought I was worth the risk. But marriage is more than a piece of paper. It is also an identity. I would hate to have a different last name of my children. The belief of marriage is HUGE, just like the idea of having children. Would you recommend somebody who wants kids stay with someone who doesn't? If one has that strong desire to carry the last name of their love, they should be with somebody who feels the same.

And I have to disagree with you. I would think that the end result of dating would be to find the person (or persons of you are polyamorous) that you wish to cherish and spend the rest of you life with (which is not contingent on you two being married). and while I'm not saying that people shouldn't get married - you do that if you want to - but at the same time we cannot say that dating is all about trying to find a "husband or wife" as some people date just solely for sex, which is okay if both partners agree. and we also cannot judge couples who chose not to get married and are together as their love is not any less real because of it nor is the love for the children they have not real because they have different last names, which I think is really not that important for you to have in order to be recognized as a family.

Why do people have to push others to marry or not to marry.. Op seems to want to marry, she should then. If someone doesn't, they shouldn't. Unless they make a conscious decision to change, which might make them unhappy. It doesn't matter if things are "good how they are now" if someone wants married why should they have to give that up? People need to make it known that they do or do not want to get married because if it clashes either someone has to compromise or they split. Nothing wrong with either but someone shouldn't be pushed to give up something they might feel strongly about..