Why should men get married?

I love Europe.

For some weeks (months, years?) now, Michael and I have been discussing the relationship between women and men.  That's an easy topic, right?
A few things, recently, have brought this conversation to the forefront: one is a post my brother recently wrote dealing mainly with the division of labour in his household; the other is my recent return to work; and lastly I have to say some of the things (whether they be true or not) about Robin Williams' financials have given me great pause.
So, instead of continuing to have the same conversations with the same people about the same thing until they're ready to smack me (and really, when is someone not just cacking to do that?) I thought I'd get a little of it out in the open.
Firstly I shall deal with my brother's blog post.  I will preface this by saying: a) I don't always agree with my brother; b) I didn't ask him permission to link to his blog; and c) I haven't actually discussed this with in person so it's somewhat open to interpretation.  If you have any harsh comments for him, please leave them on this blog: not on his.
His first premise about men being stronger and able to do more strength related jobs is murky and we could debate it all night, but I won't.  Here's what it is: we're all working now.  So, based on how much available time you have when you're not earning an income (or in the case of a mother: doing a job without getting paid) you should do the proportional amount of work.  I do more work because I have Mondays off.  If Michael had Mondays off, he would do more work.  It's like this: the chores (whether they be "pink" or "blue") make up the whole of a pie.  That pie needs to be distributed accordingly.  If you both work 40 hours a week, then it should be split 50/50 whether it means me drywalling, kicking carpet, and cleaning carburetors (all of which I have done) or Michael cleaning the apartment (which he does).  There are a set amount of chores to do and they should be divided accordingly.  I do heartily agree with his second point about women's rights when it comes to divorce and custody.  I couldn't put it better myself.
Secondly, I was a bit dismayed to know that Michael actually had some concern that I might not return to work.  I had told him that I would go back, either to a new job or to my existing one, and I kept to my word.  Furthermore, I paid for my year off myself and where I was short I borrowed the money from Michael and I am repaying him with interest .  I am not paying interest because he asked me to, but because if I had to borrow money from a bank I would have to pay them interest, and I would rather pay my 2.25% to Michael than to Blue Shore Financial.
The issue, moreover, was what my year off had cost us as a couple that have similar lifestyle and financial goals.  My year off didn't just cost me my salary, but it cost me all the expenses I had that year.  I had a great year (obviously: look at the pictures), but that year was at the expense of a shared goal.  It's like going out and buying a brand new BMW: it depreciates the minute you drive it off the lot, and you have to work for a few extra years just to pay it off.  Do you want to work longer to pay for a car?  How long do you want to be in this rat race for?  And, when making decisions that affect your partner, how long do you want your partner to be in this rat race for because you've added to their financial burden?
Lastly.  Robin Williams.  Oh my god.  I had a Mork and Mindy lunchbox for Chrissakes.  Whether it's true or not, the rumours are he was having financial difficulty in part because of the child support and alimony payments he had to pay his ex wives (why he kept on getting married escapes me).
In an animated convo that I had with my lovely husband tonight, we discussed the following scenario: a few years into a marriage, for some reason, the wife doesn't want to go back to work (maybe she's raised a child, maybe like me she took a year off and can't face going back): what can the husband do to make his wife go back to work?
Nothing.  If you take it to its end conclusion, the husband could threaten divorce, but then would likely have to go through an expensive divorce, lose half of his assets, and end up paying his ex-wife some sort of stipend, especially if there was a child involved.
I'm not sure what the stats are on spousal support that women have to pay out to their husbands during a divorce, so please forgive my ignorance on that fact, but what has really struck home with me in the last few weeks is that if I were I man, I wouldn't get married.
Michael said: "What if you wanted kids?"
And there it is.
You capitulate.  You want kids.  Your wife says she'll return to work after five years but doesn't.  You're going to divorce her?  Wow: that'll cost ya.
As someone in a 14+ year relationship (who has been married less than three months), I've come to the conclusion that marriage can really only work when three things are met: the couple have the same lifestyle/financial goals; the couple are both willing to work equally hard towards them; and that the couple each have roughly the same assets and/or earning potential (or missed earning potential in what it would cost to pay someone to stay home and cook your meals and raise your children).
In the majority of (if not all: and I haven't had a chance to list them all on paper yet) failed relationships that I have witnessed, at least one of the above criteria was not met.
So that's my summation.
Please enjoy this picture of me in Europe: it was very expensive.