I’m not sure I agree that marriage is a useless relic. I think it does still work for some people, both men and women alike. But I do think that perhaps there needs to be a different way of going about it. I’ve heard people suggest things like having to renew your marriage license every 5–10 years — I kind of like that idea. It would give people an easier way out, by simply not renewing if they’re not happy, while also still giving people the security they seek. In fact, I think the need for both people to be on board with renewing their marriage license might make marriages even better. People might communicate more, work harder to ensure their spouse’s happiness, and really put in the effort to make the marriage work, knowing that their partner can simply refuse to renew the marriage license if they aren’t feeling it.

But I also agree that the hormones of youth play a role that ought to be curbed in some way. Maybe some kind of extended waiting period or something. I actually know a 18-year-old who recently got an annulment because the couple leapt into marriage. Part of that was due to the wife’s parents manipulating the situation so that they wouldn’t have to be responsible for her anymore (she was a month away from turning 18, so her parents had to sign off on it), but hormones also played a role. It was obvious that both spouses regretted it almost as soon as they said “I do.”