Yep. Exactly why the conflated 'marraige' bugs the living daylights outta me.

If you want to trace the "historical significance" of legal marriage, it gained its significance to begin with because a woman was *part of the property* being transferred from her father to her husband and ultimately to her sons! This wasn't even abolished all that long ago, historically...it's a bit of common law that survived into American history for quite some time, though I would have to dig way back into my law school notes/comb the internet to get you a date.

My modern-day, egalitarian, romantic relationship(s)? I don't want them anywhere near this concept, thank you.