Analyzes data from eight epidemiological surveys to estimate the relative importance of income, education, and occupational status in predicting the distress of people in the normal population. Finds that the most important predictors of distress are different for men, women in the labor force, and homemakers. (Author/GC)

Fifty-four percent of all midlife and older American women are in the work force. Like their younger counterparts, most older women work in nonprofessional occupations. Regardless of their age, working women earn less than men. Sixty-five percent of working women aged 45 to 64 are married; 30 percent are widowed, divorced, or separated; and 5…