"Maidens" can refer to either daughters at home (helping mom out with the family business), or young women servants.
Jewish men of the time were expected to have a way of making a living by the middle of their teen years. So the virtuous wife's husband could have done anything - farming, carpentry, pottery making, goldworking, stone masonry - you name it. But he was also expected to be part of the community of scholarly men, reading and discussing the Torah. The point here is that the wife's diligence, thrift, and work all reflect positively on her husband.
Your explanation is acceptable, but remember the article was posted as an example of "man/woman" relationships, then it began to tell what women should be like, while her husband sits with the elders.