A lot of women have entered the labor force in order to help support their families, because it's difficult to get by on only one salary these days.
As for "leaving the land," the Industrial Revolution raised the living standard for everyone and allows us to live at a level of comfort unheard of by our founding fathers with electric lights, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, television...shall I go on?
We don't indulge in public hanging, indentured servitude, slavery, or denying the vote to women or minorities anymore, so it seems to me that we're more virtuous than ever.