Hi Elizabeth,
These men avoid the topic of marriage because they don’t want to confront what they believe to be a heavy topic. They worry that addressing such a question puts undue pressure on them to deliver.
Those that lie by giving the woman the impression that they also want marriage do so in the hopes that they can keep the woman around. They fear that if they were to tell the woman anything short of wanting to get married as well, she will shut them out and no longer communicate with them.
This is why they make something as simple as letting a woman know what they are seeking in a relationship so difficult. They want to eat their cake and have it to. They want the privilege of having the woman’s attention without having to commit to any potential outcome. And if they believe that avoiding the topic won’t kill it, they lie.