Book excerpt: This study was begun with the intent of examining the social, economic, and ideological changes that have occurred in the lives of the women employed in PINDECO's packing house in Buenos Aires. It was assumed that the majority of the women were from rural regions and that this was their first regular, salaried employment. Both of these hypotheses were disproved to some degree: in this sample, more women had emigrated to Buenos Aires from areas at least as urban as Buenos Aires itself; the majority of the women had also previously held jobs, though not as well-paying or as steady as their current jobs with PINDECO. This is related to their socio-economic situations--many of the women workers are single mothers, and so have a high degree of financial need. The study developed, therefore, into an examination of the existing socio-economic situations of the women workers and the factors influencing their financial and familial lives.