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You can't separate fucking and economics.

Victoria utters these words in Act II, Scene three, summing up Churchill's argument that sex has strong connections to broader, historical trends. Victoria's comment is part of a description of a myth of a female-ruled society in which women controlled property and thus controlled the economy. Even so, her analysis fits well the story of the play. In Act I, Clive, as the breadwinner for the family, holds the highest sexual status. To separate oneself from Clive's "rules" of sexuality, one would have to be cut off from Clive's protection and his resources.

In Act II, Victoria experiences the connection between "fucking and economics" in her quandary over whether or not to take a job in Manchester. If she does so, it will surely change the nature of her sexual relationships, a consequence that she admits to in her discussions with Lin and Martin. By looking for jobs, Betty and Victoria demonstrate that sexual liberation is in part a byproduct of economic liberation. To find their sexual identities, the women must break free from a historically male-dominated economy.

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