Work participation rates among women are low in West Bengal, below the national average; but the state has the highest incidence of working girl children in the urban areas. Based mainly on secondary data, the analysis here suggests that the relatively high prevalence of domestic service and the tradition of inducting girl children into it have led to this trend. A complex interaction of historical, cultural and social practices, together with economic factors, determine women's work in general and that of girl children in particular. A significant factor in this context is the increasing urban affluence in the state led by the growth of the service sector in the recent years.