Hazrat Khadeeja did business through the assistance of others. That is, she invested with people who traded on her behalf when they visited other cities/countries. Infact, this is how our she first contacted our beloved prophet.
The point is, she had a career. She had interests aside from cooking and cleaning. 
There is a BIG difference between a woman investing while sitting home and a woman going knocking door to door to sell products, or going out of home, working in offices. Besides, the rest 9 umhat ul momineen did NOT work. If leaving the house, going out and working amongst men was such a great thing, I am sure our prophet would have mentioned it. Au contraire, I can cite many references where the women are encouraged to take care of the husband and the children. However, it is NOT obligatory upon them to do ALL the household chores. She may demand a servant.
**I dont know a single woman in my entire existence in the USA that actually goes door to door selling stuff to random people. This isnt the 1970’s. **
**And again, if you look at my post…I said the hearth and home come FIRST. However, a woman’s own interests, dreams and pursuits are not too far behind that. She can do as she pleases and Islam gives her full freedom to get an education, work and have extra help (and pay) around the house to make sure she doesnt fall behind in that department. You may think these rules are there to bind a woman into the house but they’re actually there to make sure a woman has all the liberties she needs to be a complete and happy person. **
But justifying through religion, the 9-6, 6 days a week work with men, I seriously doubt that it is recommended.
**Snowy, who are we justifying it to? Where is there a need to justify? If Im managing my home well with the help of a servant that I have every right to…who is going to question me? I’d like to hear that. **
Also, if working women was such a great idea, why has the family structure collapsed in the west ? The “emancipated” and “independant” women think that they have acheived liberty, whereas in my opinion, its only more imprisonment.
**I hear this so much. That the west is so horrible and the family structure here is collapsing. Its no worse here then it is in Pakistan. All of my ABCD girlfriends live with their inlaws peacefully Mashallah. No one’s MIL is dying or being pushed out into the snow or being made to do jharo poncha. As far the emancipated women are concerned…why the bitter taste in your mouth when it comes women all the time? I dont understand what you would have against someone who wants to have a career and interests other then how much salt you prefer in your lassi. Working women are a great idea! I personally know of at least 3 women who are fully dependant on their abusive husbands and cant go anywhere because they have no education, work experience or means to get around. When you tell them to be strong and leave…they say “kahan jaoon?”. That majboor woman is better then a confident woman who is able to take care of her children when her husband died? **
**I know of one family personally. Father got sick when the kids were too young to work, only females in the house and no brothers. The mother went out, worked, put all of her children through school, raised them well and strong, got almost all of them married and is now a Grandmother. If that woman didnt have the skills she did, her children would have starved because she was alone in this country. **
**Another woman in the same predicament worked two jobs, lost all control of her children and is now too sick to steer them back on the right path. None of them got through school…fell prey to the wrong crowd. Why? Because the mother had no skills…she worked hard at what she got. She was an uneducated housewife who did the best she could but didnt have the tools to help herself or her children. **
Anyways, I guess IF the family and upbringing of children is not disturbed AND the work environment is decent, I don’t think its a very bad thing for women to work. Laikin based on personal choice, I’d rather opt out of it.