A new study from North Carolina State University and Duke University offers insights into the ways that education, work and motherhood shape the lives of women in the United States. In a longitudinal study of more than 8,100 women, the researchers found seven “pathways” that illustrate the way major life events can have long-term ripple effects.
The first three pathways all include women who became parents between the ages of 18 and 25:
Early Mothers with High School Interrupted (making up 13.29% of participants);
Early Mothers with Limited Education (13.01%), which refers to women who obtained a high school diploma or GED;
Early Mothers with Continuing Education (19.31%).
The second three pathways include women who got college degrees by the time they were 25:
College then Work Focused (11.95%);
College then Family Focused (8.97%); and
Graduate Degree Professionals (13.31%).
The seventh pathway was Independents with Continuing Education (20.17%), which is largely made up of women who pursue education at community colleges and vocational schools into adulthood and are unlikely to marry or have children until they are in their 30s and 40s.
Ref: https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/09/womens-life-pathways/
