Using data collected in 1959-60 and 1978-79 in the Tecumseh Community Health Study, characteristics of 866 women aged 20-44 vears at baseline were analvzed according to employment status, at baseline and follow-up (employed/employed, homemaker/employed, employed/homemaker and homemaker/homemaker). To avoid the bias of including unhealthy women with homemakers, disabled and retired women were excluded. There were few significant differences in health among the groups. Prevalence rates of respiratory conditions were slightly higher at follow-up for women employed at both exams, while prevalence rates of cardiovascular conditions were slightly higher for homemakers at follow-up. The rate of reporting heart attacks was significantly higher for homemakers at both exams, although rates of diagnosed coronary heart disease were similar among employment groups.