This paper develops a general model of political incorporation and applies this line of reasoning to explain changes in the institutional location of women as a status group. First, it clarifies the premises underlying the argument. Next, it focuses on the educational and employment patterns of women across nation-states from the perspective of the political incorporation model. It specifies two membership status conferral propositions and contrasts them with the implications of alternative "modernization of opportunity structure" model. Finally, it uses cross-national data to test these propositions and discusses the relevance of findings for further comparative inquiry on the structural sources of female participation patterns. (Author)