Introduction: Trajectories of Female Employment in the Mediterranean; A.Bu?ra Female Employment and Welfare State Development in Spain; O.Salido & L.Moreno The Modernization of Female Employment in Italy: One Country, Two Patterns; A.Andreotti & E.Mingione Female Activity and Employment Trends and Patterns in Greece: Women's Difficult Road to Economic Independence; M.Karamessini Modernization, Religious Conservatism and Female Employment through Economic Development in Turkey; A.Bu?ra & Y.Özkan How Private Lives Determine Work Options: Reflections on Poor Women's Employment in Egypt; H.Sholkamy Conclusion; A.Bu?ra & Y.Özkan