Marriage and Graduate Student Outcomes

Abstract

This paper examines how graduate outcomes for humanities students differ by the student’s gender and marital status when they enter graduate studies. I find that being married has a positive effect on both male and female students. Male students who are married at the start of graduate school are on average 3.9% more likely to graduate by any given year and they complete their degree .32 years quicker than single male students. Married female students are not any more likely to graduate but they do complete their degree .21 years quicker than single female students.