REALITIES
“Is it okay to not actually get married?”
Yes. At least that’s the case today.
In the past, it was a lot less okay because marriage, as an institution, had a lot of pragmatic reasons for taking place. Safety and survival could be stated to be at the top of that list of reasons.
With a husband, a woman could have someone to provide for her during eras when she had far less rights and opportunities than women today. For men, he had someone who could take care of his home and his children.
In today’s modern era, there’s a lot more equality going around. Both men and women can work as much as they want or need to. There is no social stigma (or at least not as much) for those who choose to stay single.
Nowadays, people marry entirely for love and partnership. If they don’t get that, or if someone is unhappy in the relationship, then there are fewer incentives to settle or stick around.
Plus, if you don’t get married, it goes without saying that you won’t have to deal with the difficulties and responsibilities related to marriage. Which means your days (if you play your cards right) can look at lot like this:
