Writer failed, maybe.
Second explanation, I can't accept. Societies organized around women---ie, matrilineal descent---do not send the women out to work. On the contrary, the women in such societies, particularly those dependent on the sea, stay home and keep things smooth and orderly. The man can't be relied on to mind the home front, they're away for long periods, so society is organized around her house/clan/name. There have been few such societies known in historical times, but most of those had menfolk whose livelihood involved long absences.
Human beings, whether they follow matrilinealism or paternalism, trade females.