"Have done" is present perfect tense, which means it describes marriage as a form of slavery in a historical sense that still has relevance today.

Today, it's mostly habit. The mindset of the roles is hard to change, particularly with the religions that installed the institutions still pushing the doctrines that made them what they were, like complimentarian doctrine.

Yes, we can just get divorced now, or not marry. And we see marriage rates falling. Here in the US and many other places, we see more and more women electing to not date men in the first place. We also see pushback against that from men, religion, and the state.

But like unsaid, it takes a while to change the mindset. Biblically speaking, it took 40 years (generations) after leaving slavery in Egypt for the Hebrews to emerge as a different people.

So that's the relevance. It's been less than one lifetime, within mine, for full enfranchisement in the US, and it's been ripped from us again....with plans to eliminate more by Project 2025 and the Christian Nationalists.

The spectre and shadow of marriage slavery still looms.

It's not chattel slavery and no one is saying it is. Indentured servitude "till death do you part" is still slavery. Yes, it's a contract and yes you get to pick your owner. But you are still owned, your labor goes to enrich someone else, you still aren't allowed legal or financial autonomy by law, and you're still property. He ca best you and abuse you anytime he wants and only getting a bad reputation stays that impulse.

Saying it's based on love and "respect" never changes that. When you don't have a choice to not marry, other than death, there is no choice.

That's what Christian Nationalists want to bring back in the US.