Here’s the funny thing: The “ball and chain” IS NOT A BAD THING. It’s to men what an anchor is to a ship and woe to the culture that not only doesn’t push men toward it, but actively sabotages this ‘anchor’.
I’m not sure your analogy fits. Boat anchors aren’t prone to attacking and sinking the boat they are attached to. That’s how I see it in the era of no fault divorce and a hostile family court. One that is heavily skewed to automagically believe the woman at the man’s expense.