However, a lot of African marriages are parasitic, that is, total dependence on either one of the gender for providence
Not just Africa alone , even here in my country, alot of people now see marriage as a way to escape poverty, infact many people get married because of selfish reasons these days...
Where's your country? I tend to feel like, this thing is more evident in African countries because of the fact that it's not seen as a necessity to empower and sensitize the girl child to be financially independent. But you're right, marriage is often seen as an escape route from poverty.