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This article reviews empirical evidence concerning the effects of paid employment on women's mental and physical health, with special attention to variations in the effects of employment depending on the characteristics of women and their jobs. We highlight methodological issues and focus primarily on studies with longitudinal data for representative samples of women. We conclude that women's employment does not have a negative effect on their health, on the average. Indeed, employment appears to improve the health of unmarried women and married women who have positive attitudes toward employment. Possible mediators linking employment to health outcomes are discussed. Current evidence suggests that increased social support from co-workers and supervisors may be one important mediator of the beneficial health effects of employment. Given the paucity of available longitudinal studies, we encourage additional prospective research examining the mental and physical health consequences of employment according to job characteristics, personal characteristics, and disease outcome. We also recommend research on several promising mediators of employment-health relationships.

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