Modern housewives often own nothing but access to his income stream, and that is a right has been legally eroded (through no-fault divorce and rampant male remarriage, for instance ) and he can more easily cut her off from it or simply protest by ending the pursuit of income. No differently than before, she can best gain access to that stream by simply living with him and lying with him, which leads to "feeling trapped".

Middle class women are being asked to reduce or abandon their income stream (which would raise their fertility and their husbands' income) and rely on his, but he usually doesn't offer compensation for her risk, so she clings to that stream.