It all comes down to culture and geography, in the end. In Europe, for instance, very few women can afford not to work, and very few husbands (if any) would prefer a stay at home wife. In Asia and Arab countries, a woman who stays at home is pretty much the norm. This is seen not as a status symbol (it would be in America, for instance), but as a way of life. It also helps to control the woman: without a job, she is completely dependent on her husband. Thus most of these women are seen as obliging, feminine, more pleasant and obedient (well, that's how they survive).