I was a SAHM for 10 years while I was having my kids and until the youngest was in Kindergarten. I would not have traded it for anything in the world and I recognize how lucky I am to have been able to do that.
But I had a choice. I could have worked outside of the home. If I was unhappy in my marriage, I can leave. My husband and I have a joint account but if I wanted to open my own, I could. I could open a secret savings account if I had to get out and funnel money.
Women in the past had none of these options. And "past" is only two generations before me.