I just want to add that marriage itself isn't exactly a good platform for equality. Religions often dictate the kinds of work that men and women are expected to do within a marriage, but a good deal of legal and economic policies place women at a disadvantage. A few examples:
Some government "tuition assistance" programs in the US extend their benefits only to the "primary earner" of a household, effectively eliminating married women from the list of people who are eligible.
Government taxation in both the US and Canada often treats couples' income as "pooled" and taxes it as such; in this case women are actually paying more tax than they would be were they considered "single."
When childcare benefits are cut, the policies often say (explicitly and implicitly) that mothers or female relatives should pick up the slack.
Ironically enough, along with the push for equal marriage for gays and lesbians, there's also a movement to "de-legalize" the status of marriage. That is, let it be a religious institution, and a nominal one, but don't let it change the way the government chooses to view or tax you. Gay marriage introduces the possibility that maybe there doesn't have to be a "his" and "her" work dichotomy in the household...and the idea that two people might be entirely equal in their marriage is certainly a new one for the institution.
Some government "tuition assistance" programs in the US extend their benefits only to the "primary earner" of a household, effectively eliminating married women from the list of people who are eligible.
Government taxation in both the US and Canada often treats couples' income as "pooled" and taxes it as such; in this case women are actually paying more tax than they would be were they considered "single."
When childcare benefits are cut, the policies often say (explicitly and implicitly) that mothers or female relatives should pick up the slack.
Ironically enough, along with the push for equal marriage for gays and lesbians, there's also a movement to "de-legalize" the status of marriage. That is, let it be a religious institution, and a nominal one, but don't let it change the way the government chooses to view or tax you. Gay marriage introduces the possibility that maybe there doesn't have to be a "his" and "her" work dichotomy in the household...and the idea that two people might be entirely equal in their marriage is certainly a new one for the institution.
