Erikson marked adolescence for the prime developmental task of identity achievement. An examination of 31 mothers, aged 25 to 45, revealed that foreclosure of identity development was the norm for this sample in adolescence and that, for those who had achieved identity, the subsequent status change was related to the liberating influences of feminism. Positive correlations were found between the identity achievement of the sample mothers and the maturity of their concepts and understanding of the child, the parent-child relationships, and the parental role. Lacking role models, encouragement, and identification by parents, educators, and peers, girls engage less than boys in courses in the sciences and math. Curriculum and counseling interventions are needed to inhibit early foreclosure for adolescent females. Parents, educators, and adolescents themselves can work to avoid foreclosure of females' identity development through parent workshops and programs, staff sensitization to their own attitudes and behaviors toward women's roles, and role modeling. Counseling interventions currently aimed at "adjustment" might be addressed to promoting life decision-making and helping females keep their options open during crucial preadolescent and early adolescent periods. (Author/NRB)