Essentially, marriage was a microcosmic welfare state, a unit where men and women exchanged not only wedding bands but caregiving and financial support. And as the sole acceptable venue for sex and procreation, both culturally and legally, marriage made sense for the state to encourage; otherwise, society might overflow with adulterers, “fornicators” (the term for people who engaged in the then illegal act of premarital sex), and “illegitimate” children.
