In this paper changes in labor force participation for women in North Carolina are examined and projected into the future. The projections demonstrate that the number of employed females, especially mothers, will be much greater in the future than at present. Thus, the issues related to female labor force participation will be even more salient in the year 2000 than today. These issues include the types of jobs occupied by and educational background of women, the care of infants and children, and the legal issues raised by discrimination against women in the work place. Each of these issues is examined in detail and particular attention is given to their policy implications. A partial list of issues considered worthy of attention includes day care, delayed child bearing, work arrangements, volunteerism, lower fertility, Social Security and other public pension plans, declining school population, and national defense. In the final section of the paper, a detailed analysis of legal solutions to the problem of equal pay for women, focusing especially on the doctrine of comparable worth, is provided. The desirability of states' adopting a comparable worth standard is discussed in terms of equity, preference satisfaction, stigma, efficiency, political and technical feasibility, and cost. (RH)