World War II and Female Educational Attainment (thesis)

Abstract

This paper explores World War II's effect on female educational attainment. First, I analyze whether there is a link between World War II and female educational attainment. I then assess two possible channels through which the war could have affected a woman's likelihood of graduating from high school and from college: the marriage market and the labor market. I find that World War II is correlated with an increased probability of graduating from college for white women, but there is little to no correlation for non-white women. I also find little correlation between World War II and the probability of graduating from high school for white and nonwhite women alike. It is likely that effects of the marriage and labor markets together created a small net effect on female education.