A contributing chapter in a book that explores gender effects of the current transformation of agriculture and rural life. Alston’s chapter looks at the effects of the continuing drought on farm households in Australia. Off-farm work by women to support the farm through the drought has often involved long distance travel, with weekly or longer periods away from home to find work. In some cases, children are left behind on the farm to continue their education; in other cases, they move with their mother away from their father and home.