Research on the quality of employees' working life can be adapted to studies of the quality of working life for homemakers. However, a basic difference to be considered is the homemakers' values about their work, the goals, and the rewards. Open-ended interviews about homemaking with 30 metropolitan homemakers yielded a wide variety of responses, including the consensual belief that homemaking is indeed "real work." Reasons for choosing the homemaker role ranged from a perceived lack of choice or sense of duty to a definite preferance for homemaking rather than paid employment. Most respondents mentioned, in addition to home management, their satisfaction in providing a warm environment for their families as well as community involvement. The findings suggest that a broader model that covers all aspects of the quality of working life is needed to fully understand the dynamics of homemaking and provide a framework for processing homemakers' values. (JAC)