A study analyzed two basal reading series to determine if they depicted realistically the role of the career woman as she exists in society. A list of female careers in the 1989 editions of Houghton-Mifflin and McGraw Hill reading basals for grades 1 to 6 was compared to the career categories of the "United States Bureau of Census, Statistical Abstracts for 1989." Results indicated that: (1) eight of the 40 categories shown in the abstract were comparable; (2) 14 categories indicated a higher percentage in the basals; and (3) 18 categories show a lower percentage. Findings suggest that these basals do not realistically represent women in the contemporary work force. (Four tables of data are included and 30 references are attached.) (RS)