The demographic characteristics of a sample of New York employed women who perceived that financial barriers would affect their participation in postsecondary education were examined. Reasons these women sought learning experiences, the prices they were willing to pay for the course of interest, and the counseling services wanted were also studied. Employed women who acknowledged no cost restraint were separated as a control group. To acquire this information, analyses were drawn from the survey data collected for the "New York State Continuing Education Needs Assessment, Report No. 1" (1977). New York City residents were excluded from this report. The women were questioned about such factors as: income, amount of education, learning interests, number of children and their need for counseling services. All women involved in the study had a high school diploma. Some examples of the several conclusions reached are: 42.2 percent of the women acknowledged cost-related barriers would deter them from continuing education, and women seeking vocational-related courses were more likely to perceive financial barriers than were those desiring avocational courses. Provided are supplementary tables, the survey questionnaire, and a bibliography. (LC)