I'm not sure why there is so much trash talk about an institution that was with us for millennia. As men, we forget that reality is as much a construct of something tangible as what we make it out to be. As such, to get a little philosophical here, the screen you are reading this on is real partially because you give it its validity (thus producing its reality). How you perceive the other, the others, the relationship, the children (real or only sketched in the stars right now) has a huge impact on what is and isn't possible in the real world and the sort of outcome it will produce. Women understand this intuitively (women also have perverted this idea taking it to an extreme completely rejecting reality) while for man it's quite a discovery that forces adjusting our perception a great deal.
As most men are stuck in the reality-camp, while most women are stuck in anything-is-possible wonderland, there indeed seems very little possibility of a constructive dialogue, but... as one clever divorce lawyer said, with marriage you have 50% chance of a divorce. Divorce is serious - akin to being hit by a bowling bowl - why do people then risk going through this mystery gate? Because if it does work out - it's like winning the lottery. You will never experience anything better in your life than your kids (and you want them to grow up in an intact family which has MUCH higher chance of staying as such if you do get married). As other have said it, marry if you want kids but i feel it's not being stressed enough that having kid WILL be the most amazing thing that ever will happen in your life. So if you found a special woman in your life, i say, go for it!