Because it leands to misery and unhappiness. A better way of spending life (I don´t mean the whole life because I´m not naive and know that many relationships come to an end) is to marry for love. As a rather pretty young woman she could have looked for someone who cares for her, loves her, and if possible is not so much into casual relationships. She prefered a man who doubles her age, who has most probably cheated on her, humiliated, and who is looking desperately for a heir. If that is not greed and ambition ( the bad one, not the ambition that makes you fight for economical independence and a sucessful career). what is it then?
You are a romantic.
It works 'for love' depending upon who the two people are and where they come from. Over the years I have come to realize that a successful marriage is more about shared values, goals, culture (small 'c') and education.
I have seen marriages begin with great love (real love and caring) as well as great lust and passion. They foundered when it came to raising the children that came along. When suddenly the woman or man realizes that those 'cute' little habits that were so endearing in the heated glow of young love actually translate into lethal disagreements on how to raise children, how to train children, how to educate children, along with how to keep house, how to be genially cohabiting roommates for a lifetime.
Now in my dotage
I have seen the value in the idea of an 'arranged' marriage - where parents really analyze the values and attitudes of the prospective spouses. Clearly there are lots of problems with this system but so are there problems with the 'love system'.
However, it occurs to me that we engage in a sort of self-arranged dating and marriage with on-line dating. Consider the personality profiles and the list of desired characteristics, etc.
And so, when one boils it all down, its a bit of all of it. Yes, the person must be physically attractive to one, their energy must stimulate and engage. Women will always look to see if the man can support the 'nest' she will build for the children. The man will always look to see if the woman answers his criteria for 'nesting' his children - and so it goes. In a way, marriage is always an arrangement - except where it is two people dragged into the Love Chapel in Las Vegas by booze and lust and a winning streak.
Its an interesting study - marriage - and how children are managed. Different societies have handled it in vastly different ways. In the Middle Ages the daughter of a King would be betrothed to another very young and then sent to that court to be raised - we can clearly see that the attempt was being made to make sure the new bride when the time came would be thoroughly enculturated to her in-laws 'ways' when she finally married and bore children. (I realize that the rationale for doing this had many other reasons as well). Marriage is a deal no matter how you look at it - always has been. The idea that just love drives it is a risky one. The idea that material considerations don't enter in - beauty and youth for the man in regards the woman (hence ensuring healthy offspring), and wealth and standing for the woman in regards the man (hence ensuring material well-being and social standing/safety for herself and her offspring while she nurtures them) - is perhaps naive. Maybe.
I would say they are two healthy people - attractive to each other - so there is lust and passion - that's a beginning. They are also older and both of them have been around the block a few times - they would be able to fill out their computer dating profile with precision. I think they came up with a match.