Changes in the influence of early marriage on the educational attainment of men and women

Has the impact of early marriage on educational attainment lessened among younger men and women? Using national survey data and an index of early marriage, this study suggests that the effects of early marriage have, in fact, increased in their negative consequences for both genders, with females consistently more at risk of reduced education across all birth cohorts. Possible explanations for this difference include the disproportionate tendency of women to choose early marriage, despite the liberating philosophy of the women's movement. Further, the effect of early marriage on women's educational attainment is shown to have cumulatively increasing negative economic consequences because of the rising number of female‐headed households which result from divorce.