“Or beat them when they don’t?”
He was never able to “beat them.” Only Beis Din could use a stick against them if all else failed when attempting to force them to carry out their marital duties.
“Besides, there are many dissenting opinions in Chazal – does that mean they are ALL right?”
Yes, every dissenting opinion of Chazal is correct in some form. They are and were never wrong. Period.
“Can one say that culture and societal norms have changed since their times?”
It has degenerated certainly.