Although there is a vast literature on public works programs, studies examining the gender dimensions of public works schemes are relatively few. The issue of gender differences in participation in public works programs is important for a number of reasons. For example, if public funds are used to provide safety net mechanisms, women should have equal access to such risk-coping opportunities. This study looks at questions related to the gender dimensions of public works programs using four rounds of the Ethiopia Rural Household Survey as well as a set of interviews of program officials conducted in 2003. These include: (1) What are the determinants of men's and women's participation in public works programs? Are they identical to the determinants of participation in the labor force? Does the effect of individual and family characteristics vary by gender? (2) Are there gender differences in earnings from public works? Are these due to differences in days worked or wages per day? (3) Do men and women participate equally in public works programs in response to idiosyncratic and aggregate shocks? (4) What programmatic features may have differential effects on men's and women's participation?