I can’t decide if this is satire or not…. that’s the beauty of Medium and the written word. Penguins are definitely self-sufficient animals and we need very little help from humans.

But we have also been documented by various scientific studies engaging in theft and prostitution. We aren’t always as committed as you think we are. Here’s an article about the late 1990s study for reference. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/60302.stm

We can disagree about marriage being a tool for oppressing women — and I’ll cite Saudi Arabia as my example, despite having one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, it’s still steeped in the idea that women are subservient to men. Being ‘a wife’ there means that your behaviours (such as driving or getting a job) reflect poorly on your husband. Marriage, in that part of the world, is stifling progress towards a more equitable society.

You may be correct that it began as a way of protecting and enhancing the quality of lives for women — but I think we can probably find better ways of doing it via legislative change rather than just presuming women need the protection of men and marriage.

Still… it’s a fun debate to have. :o)