This study critically examined the role of marriage as a socially mandated institution through the analytical lens of the procreative imperative — the pervasive cultural and religious expectation that procreation constitutes the central justification for entering matrimony. Drawing on a mixed-methods research design involving 400 purposively and randomly selected respondents across urban and peri-urban communities in Uganda, the study investigated the extent to which marriage is perceived as a coping mechanism for social stigma, loneliness, and procreative pressure rather than as a freely chosen, autonomy-affirming partnership. Quantitative data were collected via structured questionnaires and analysed using univariate descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of independence, whilen qualitative data from 25 in-depth interviews and 3 focus group discussions were subjected to thematic analysis. Key findings revealed that the majority of respondents (60.3%) perceived marriage primarily as a social obligation rather than a personal fulfilment choice; that procreative pressure scores increased significantly with age (mean PPS = 4.68 for the 55+ cohort); and that marital status was significantly associated with both satisfaction levels (χ² = 44.13, p < 0.001, Cramér's V = 0.347) and perceived social coercion (χ² = 38.74, p < 0.001, Cramér's V = 0.321). Qualitatively, three dominant themes emerged: (1) marriage as socially enforced performance of normalcy, (2) procreation as identity-validating but autonomy-eroding mandate, and (3) gendered asymmetries in perceived marital benefits. The study concluded that institutional marriage, as currently constructed and practiced in many African contexts, disproportionately functions as a coping response to societal stigma and procreative pressure rather than as an intrinsically valuable life choice. The study recommended reformulation of public discourse around marriage, policy recognition of diverse family structures, and gender-responsive counselling frameworks.