STANFORD" S MARRIAGE RATE 



Three-fourths of Men Graduates Marry, But Only Half of Women Possible 

 Reasons for the Difference Comparison with Other Institutions — 

 Difference May Bs Growing Larger 



IT IS well known that the marriage 

 rate of men from separate men's 

 colleges is more than a half again as 

 great as that of women graduates 

 from separate women's colleges, but 

 little study has been given to the records 

 of men and women from the same college. 



As a contribution to this subject, 

 records of Stanford alumni and alumnae 

 are here given. 



Stanford University, near Palo Alto, 

 California, graduated its first class in 

 1892. Up to and including the class of 

 1900, it granted 1,095 degrees. The 

 records of these nine classes were 

 studied in the Alimmi Directory of 

 1910, and 95 names were eliminated 

 either because no recent information 

 had been received or because the indi- 

 vidual had died. This left an even 

 1,000 names, 670 men and 330 women. 



Of the men, 490 or 73.2' f were re- 

 ported as married, and ISO or 26.8% 

 as unmarried. 



Of the women, 160 or 48.59r were 

 reported as married, and 170 or 51.5% 

 as unmarried. 



These figures are not absolutely final. 

 since only ten years is allowed the latest 

 class considered, and some of its mem- 

 bers who did not marry in that interval 

 would doubtless marry later. It ap- 

 l)ears probable that this incomplete- 

 ness is diflferential, in that it tends to 

 lower the comi)lete marriage rate of 

 the men more than that of the women. 

 After graduation, a man must usually 

 estaV)lish himself in business before 

 marriage, whereas a woman is usually 

 ready for matrimony as soon as she has 



left the university. It seems, then, 

 that women ma\' tend to marr\' so(jner 

 after graduation than do men; it seems 

 \'ery unlikely that the reverse will be 

 the case. If this is true, then any 

 marriages which may have taken ]:)lace 

 among these Stanford graduates since 

 1910, or any which may yet take place, 

 will tend i)roportionatcly to increase 

 the marriage rate of the alumni more 

 than that of the alumnae. 



.MKX's R.\TE CONSTANT 



Although it is not wholly complete, 

 the marriage rate of Stanford men 

 (73.2) is surprisingly close to that of 

 Harvard men (74) and Yale men (78),^ 

 considering that Stanford is located on 

 tho other side of the continent, has an 

 extremely different "atmosi)here," and 

 draws from a very did'erent class of 

 students. While the eugenist would 

 like to see as high a marriage rate as 

 possible among such a picked body of 

 men, it is doubtful whether a much 

 higher rate than this can fairly be 

 ex])eeted, in \'iew of the fact that many 

 graduates (of Stanford, more than of 

 the eastern universities) enter i)ro- 

 fessions, such as geology and engineer- 

 ing, which are sometimes incom])atible 

 with the early establishment of a home. 



The women's marriage rate is lower 

 to a surprising degree. Considering 

 that it is i:)robably not complete, it 

 compares favoral)ly with the highest 

 of the separate women's colleges (Wcl- 

 lesley 48. Vassar 49). and is well above 

 the lowest of these colleges (Mount 

 Holvoke 41.9, Hrvn Mawr, -13.9).- It 



' Phillips, John C, in Harvard C.raduatcs' Magazine, September, 19 H), and Journ.m. of 

 Hkkkdity, vii, pp. 56S-.S69, DecemlHT. 1916. The Harvard and Yale figures include classes to 

 1X90 onlv, and arc therefore comi)k'te. 



- Vi,'t these rates see Si)raKue, Robert J., in JorRV.M. oK Hkkkdity, vi, pp. 158-162. The 

 rates for women's colleges are compiled in various ways and for various jjcriods, and should not 

 lie directly com))ared with the Stanford rate, unless due allowance has l)een made for this. They 

 are probably somewhat more complete. For Wellesley, see Johnson, Roswcll H., and Stutzmann, 

 Bertha J., in Joirnai- ok Hkreditv, vi, pp. 250-253. 



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