Gregory's ServerMaybe there’s a broader purpose?
Ownership of children is also part of the same system. (The word ‘paterfamilias’ has some history...)
But maybe also, cishet (and depending on specific culture, mono) marriage reinforces the broader system of social power. (They call it the foundation of society.)
Which of course they (including many ‘high-status’ wives) insist on their entitlement to lead. That way even unmarried and widowed high-status traditionalists can stay privileged.
@Catvalente
But of course the less privileged ‘bad straights’ may not be in a position to imagine that particular outcome. I suspect it runs more on instinct than imagination anyway...