Is being a wife better than being “just a girlfriend”? 🤔

I was thinking today. So my friend came over last night and we got on this conversation. Her and her boyfriend have been together for 5 years. They don’t want to get married, and they have received weird comments over it. Her dad asked her why she was okay with being “just his girlfriend”? And ofcourse she’s had other comments but they usually go like that too. She also said sometimes people don’t treat them like people treat married people and act like their relationship is really valid. So I’ve been thinking about it and is being a wife more “important” or “better” than being a girlfriend? What about a fiancé? Do you look at a married couple differently than a couple who is not married? If so, why?

To me a relationship is just as important if someone isn’t married than if they are. Ofcourse there’s some differences like legally but I don’t look at a relationship as less valid or whatever just bc they aren’t married