The authors′ analysis and discussion grow out of an extensive study that looked at high school students in 1980, and then followed up with them in 1990 and 1993. The data provide glimpses into influences on women′s life choices and motivation, goals and obstacles to reaching them, and comparisons of women′s and men′s career development patterns. They also offer insights into differences among ethnic and socioeconomic groups, as well as the influence of family on