What benefit does a man get from marriage than he can't get from just living

[Lenny K]

with a woman? And actually, I believe it's better when she has her place and you have yours. So with all the other legal avenues available, why sign a contract to a deal that had a 50% failure rate?

[Katie T]

Because it's the next level of commitment and trust...it's a symbol

[virtocious]

The reason living with a girl is a bad idea is because you might see something about her you don't like and break up. That may seem like an argument to do so, but what if this is the person you are supposed to be with. And now it's over because you saw something you were not ready to see. But with marriage, you have let the love build. And no small annoyance is going to break it.
What can a man get from marriage that he can't get from just living with a woman? - In a good marriage, a woman who is willing to love him for all that he is even though she has not seen all that he is.