The movement to train and counsel displaced homemakers began in 1975. State legislation for funding was followed by vocational educational and Comprehensive Employment Training Act funding. The Department of Labor has estimated that there are at least 4.13 million displaced homemakers. A total of 354 displaced homemaker programs have been located. Most offer counseling rather than job-specific training. Displaced homemakers need greater support while in training and more training and employment in nontraditional occupations. Most exmployers who have hired displaced homemakers have found them dependable and highly motivated. The term displaced homemaker should be more clearly defined with program focus on middle-aged and older women. More effective outreach to rural and minority women, multiple sources of funding, and training of counselors and instructors in the special needs of displaced homemakers are needed. Criteria for program evaluation should include funding, outreach, and services. (A seventy-page bibliography concludes the report, and appendixes constituting half the document include information on local, state, and federal displaced homemaker legislation and programs, lists of resources, and directory of educational institutions with displaced homemaker programs.) (Related documents are a manual on vocational counseling for displaced homemakers and a resource guide for vocational educators and planners--see note.) (MN)