I argue that the neoliberal reforms brought on by structural adjustment appear to have contributed to a deterioration of the job market and a greater prevalence of female-headed households in the Dominican Republic. On the basis of data collected in 1994 among women working in a free trade zone, I show that structural adjustment increases the need for women to work, because of cuts in government programs, declining real wages, growing inflation, and a deterioration in male employment, which weakens the man's role as principal breadwinner and increases the importance and visibility of women's contribution to the household economy. This change in the gender composition of the labor force has encouraged some women to resist marriage and/or remarriage because the ‘marriage market’ of eligible men willing and able to support a family has been reduced, contributing to greater marital instability.
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