Changes in the market work and wages of women from 1975 to 1994 are documented. Women are organized into nine birth cohorts, five schooling groups, and each year of age from 25 to 60 years and their weekly and annual work hours, their annual work weeks, their employment-population ratio, and their real average hourly earnings tabulated. Schooling differences in work behavior have become wider in recent cohorts as have their wages. The relationship between work and wages is estimated for women of different ages, cohorts, and marital status. The gap between the work of unmarried and married women has narrowed and the role of wages (both the wages of women and those of husbands) is examined to determine the extent to which changes in wages account for these movements.

John Pencavel is a professor of economics at Stanford University. He acknowledges excellent research assistance from Robert McMillan and David Mancuso. Comments on an earlier draft of this paper by three anonymous referees are appreciated. This research has been supported by grant SBR 94-04482 from the National Science Foundation. The data used in this article can be obtained beginning March 1999 through February 2002 from John Pencavel, Department of Economics, Stanford University, California 94305-6072.