The premise of this study is that to understand the needs of adult women in vocational education, stereotypes regarding life and work patterns of adult women must be discarded. The purpose of this study is to gain further understanding of how women's family responsibilities and prior education have influenced their working lives and how each of the above have influenced current occupational/training choices. Data collected is based on a national sample of 1,500 women from ninety-one area vocational technical schools (AVTS) in thirty-four states. Findings are summarized with correlating issues in the following areas: demography, other postsecondary educational programs, current vocational education programs, employment status, career decision-making, motivation, service needs, problems, women who have never worked, steady and intermittent employees, and non-traditional women. Women are placed in one of five categories and analyzed comparatively: reentrants (steadily employed, intermittently employed, never before employed) and career changers (steady employees, intermittent employees). Sample questionnaires are appended. (FP)