A provocative analysis of the nature of the relation between women and paid work in both modernizing and industrial countries, this book explores the variables that shape the relationship: demographic factors, the social and cultural context, the political environment, and the level and direction of economic development. Contributors point to a number of similarities in the roles, activities, and status of women in countries with varying levels of development, but they also argue that women's productive activities in both market and nonmarket economies exhibit distinctive characteristics, having evolved in ways that reflect the particular circumstances of the country. An introductory section provides a historical and sociological framework for the analysis as well as a statistical overview of women's nonagricultural employment. The country case studies that follow focus on health, education, and family roles and provide a wealth of data about the characteristics of paid work and the workplace, including occupations and earnings, technological change, pay equity, work schedules, cooperatives, and the informal labor market.