This study tested the hypothesis that schizophrenic women experience a less severe course of illness than schizophrenic men. Ninety patients with DSM-III diagnoses of schizophrenia, who were in the early stages of illness, were followed for 10 years with respect to rehospitalizations and length of time in the hospital. Multivariate regression techniques were used to test for gender differences across multiple outcomes. The women experienced fewer rehospitalizations and shorter stays than did the men. These findings were not an artifact of diagnosis. The results suggest that the determinants of gender differences occur during the premorbid period and are manifest early in the development of the disorder.