This book examines the variations in the constitution of female gender in a group of young working-class women of African American, Latina, Puerto Rican, and White European backgrounds who were enrolled in an alternative high school for students at risk of academic failure. It also analyzes the school processes that shape these young women's gender identities and provides evidence that female gender identity among various racial or ethnic backgrounds can be very dissimilar. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Social Class, Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Schooling: A Theoretical Overview"; (3) "The Social, Economic, and Educational Status of African American, Latina, and White Women in the United States"; (4) "Young White Working-Class Women: Envisioning Adult Lives"; (5)"Young Women of African American and Puerto Rican Descent: Anticipating Lives as Adult Women"; (6) "Young Women of Dominican and South American Descent: Constructing Possibilities for the Future"; (7) "Redefining Relationships to Schooling"; (8) "The Formal Curriculum"; (9) "The Social Construction of Gender within the School"; and (10) "Conclusions." Appendixes discuss the study methodology and educational profiles of the girls studied. (Contains 18 tables, 61 endnotes, and 264 references.) (SLD)