A 1979 Kentucky study comparing rural farm and nonfarm women to each other and to women residing in metropolitan areas examined women's labor force participation. A statewide mail survey of Kentucky adults produced usable questionnaires from 3 groups of women: farm women (1,231), nonmetropolitan women (3,631), and metropolitan women (937). Dependent variables were women's labor force participation (full- or part-time), attitudes toward unemployment, satisfaction with job opportunities, job efficacy, and attitude toward small, family farms. Farm women, working or not, tended to be older (median age 45-49) than metropolitan/nonmetropolitan women (median age 40-44). In all groups, younger women were more likely to be working. About half of nonfarm women were employed full- or part-time; 38% of farm women were working off the farm. Working women in all three groups were concentrated in white-collar occupations and in service industries. In all groups, working women had completed more years of education than nonworking women; with labor force participation constant, farm women had the least educational attainment. Among working women, the major determinant of job efficacy was education, followed by income. Policy implications included a need for adequate training for high-wage jobs for rural women. (MH)