Long-neglected as a topic of study by sociologists, historians, and economists, the status of women in Africa is here examined by a group of well-known Africanists. Raising questions about the relationship of gender stratification to class formation, this compilation of essays focuses on such issues as the relationship of female solidarity to class consciousness, politics and female class action, rural-urban differences in gender stratification, and the impact of variations in socioeconomic structure on women and class formation.