What role did women play during industrialization? Interpretations of this key period of history have been largely based on analyses of men’s work. This paper offers evidence of the effects of women’s involvement in the industrialization process that took place in Alcoy, Spain, over the period 1860–1914. Using data drawn from historical sources, the study analyzes labor force participation rate sand wage series for women and men in the textile industry and three other sectors of activity (education, health, and low-skill services). The paper then connects the gender pay gaps with life expectancy indicators. Results suggest that women’s contribution to household income might have favored the femalelife-expectancy advantage, an effect that seems to have been channeled through a reduction in the relative mortality rates of female infants and girls, at the expense of a higher mortality rate of working-age women.