In recent years, womens' roles have changed dramatically, prompting researchers toexamine the impact of these changes on the development of women and children. In this article,we examine three major changes that women have experienced over the past several decades:increased participation in the paid labor force, changes in domestic labor and child-care patterns,and increased numbers of female-headed single-parent families. For each, we first describe thenature of the changes that have occurred over the last 50 years. We then review researchconcerning the effects of these changes on the development of women and children. Finally, wediscuss the implications for social policy that stem from this research. It is broadly concluded thatresearch informed by a developmental–contextual perspective may contribute importantlyto the development of social policies focused on promoting the well-being of women and children.