Marriage and parenthood are more related to graduation outcomes for women than for men. Compared with women who did not marry before earning their bachelor’s degree, women who did marry before earning their bachelor’s degree were less likely to enroll in a graduate program or to enroll in a first-professional or doctoral degree program. Similarly, women who married before graduation were less likely to attain a graduate degree, and, among those who attained, less likely to attain a first-professional or doctoral degree. Similar consistent negative links to graduate enrollment and attainment were observed among women who became parents after graduation.

Among men, marriage before earning a bachelor’s degree was related to a lower rate of enrollment in graduate school, but marriage within the next 4 years was not related to the rate of enrollment. In addition, marriage after graduation was not related to the type of degree program chosen. Among men who enrolled, neither marriage nor parenthood were related to men’s graduate degree attainment.