The purposes of this research were to find out general trends of employed women`s stress and to investigate the differences and effects of related variables. The data were obtained through 239 employed women living in Kwangju and Chonnam. The major findings were as follows: 1) Employed women`s scores of stressor, stress cognition and distress were under medium but coping scores were relatively high. 2) Significant differences in employed women`s stressors were found according to age, income, job satisfaction, and family life cycle. Stress cognition differed according to job adjustment conditions and self-esteem. Also distress related with job conditions and object. Stress coping levels were different according to income, job conditions, self-esteem, and sex-role attitude. 3) In analyzing the causal effects among related variables, employed women`s stressors were affected by job satisfaction and age. Also stress cognition were influenced by job satisfaction and self-esteem. Job conditions showed significant effects on distress and self-esteem, sex-role attitudes showed on coping. Conclusively job satisfaction, self-esteem and gender equality were most important variables for employed women`s stress.(Korean J of Human Ecology 2(1):25-37, 1999)