Among the changes farm families have faced during the past two decades has been the dramatic increase in off-farm employment. Historically, women's involvement has been essential to the functioning of the family farm, and as off-farm income has increased in importance, increasing numbers of farm women have joined the ranks of those employed in off farm jobs. Using phone survey data collected during the 1988-89 year, the objectives of this study were (1) to identify the variables which may predict farm wives' off-farm employment status, and the resulting direct and indirect effects of their employment status on their satisfaction with farming as a way of life, and (2) to assess the direction and strength of the relationships. Guided by the Deacon and Firebaugh (1988) family systems framework, path analysis was used to estimate the relationships among the variables. The path model was estimated and examined using LISREL 8 on the covariance matrix. A low chi-square and high goodness-of-fit index suggested that no significant difference existed between the observed covariance matrix and the model-implied matrix; however, many of the parameters in the model had low values. Because the model did not explain the ultimate variable, satisfaction with farming as a way of life, well, several explanations were explored. None of the model modifications estimated provided a better fit to the data, nor did they result in better path coefficients. However, splitting the sample into large and small farm subsamples answered some important questions. When small (net farm income of $10,000 or less) and large farm samples were examined, results revealed significant differences on a number of variables and correlations. An analysis of the path model for small farms produced poor R�� values, but the R�� for wife's off-farm employment level was slightly improved over the initial model with the full sample. The analysis of large farms indicated that the model provided better explanatory power with large farms than with either the small farm or full sample when focusing on the ultimate variable, satisfaction with farming as a way of life. / Graduation date: 1996