The lives of working-class women were explored through interviews with 63 middle-aged women, most of whom were employed in working-class jobs and living working-class lives in Baltimore, Maryland. The following were among the areas covered in the interviews: the women's lives on and off the job; their job satisfaction; the reasons they work and the meaning of work in their lives; the impact of work on their families; their work as paid and unpaid caregivers; what it means to grow up poor in the postwar United States; their educational attainment and its impact on their working lives; the reasons those who dropped out of school did so, and their educational and/or career aspirations while in still in school. Social class had a big impact on the educational opportunities available to those interviewed, which in turn had a big impact on their attitudes toward education, career aspirations, and eventual employment opportunities and experiences in adulthood. Those women who upgraded their qualifications did improve their chances of finding a better job; however, they still had to face labor market inequities. It is therefore critical that policymakers not only make education more accessible but also address labor market inequities and unfair labor practices. (196 references) (MN)