WHY AREN'T YOU MARRIED?

Many people can relate with the above question and all the underlining messages that comes with it. It seems the most decent question friends and acquittance can ask the moment they set eyes on you after a few months or weeks or days of not been in touch.
The fact that society (Africa in particular) places and holds the institution of marriage in great esteem seem to accord the above question such sanctity that cannot be overridden. No gender is immune to the pinch that the question of matrimony presents. Young men and women 'due for marriage' are not spared this encroachment of personal disposition on the question about whether or not to get married although one can argue that the female folk seem more at the receiving end of this pressure.

        

Orchestrators of the 'why are you not married' question would argue that it is out of place for anyone-man or woman-to negotiate the option of live-singlehood. To do this, they advance the argument that the mandate of procreation is bound on every living thing-man, animals, plants etc.
But I dare to ask - must one marry? Does one not reserve the right not to get entangled in the responsibilities that accompany marriage particularly if you're not prepared for such a daunting task?
A childhood friend of mine visited my home from the north and had barely walked in before the question erupted from his mouth like a wild volcano. "Na him u never marry"? he asked. Why? I responded and he goes " your place don set na". I simply laughed and began to question his understanding of the demands of marriage beyond the physical niceties it presents. His question also got me wondering the scale of pressure  other folks out there especially the ladies have had to endure consequent upon such demands from friends and families. My friend wasn't the first to ask because I've had work colleagues ask similar questions too.
My aim here is not to invalidate marriage or present it in a light that mirrors an unpleasant burden but to draw attention to the fact that times have shifted a bit and so also have people's priorities and aspirations. Added to this is the fact of the economic hurdles that young men particularly would have to surmount in their quest to ready themselves to carry the financial responsibilities of running a home and shaping the destinies of others. All these put together may to some extent answer the questions of those who come at you with the 'why aren't you married' question.
So, what's your own take on this?

Picture credit: google search