World War II temporarily halted the rise in high school and college graduation
rates. This article shows that manpower mobilization for World War II
decreased educational attainment among high school-age females during the
early 1940s, reduced employment and earnings, and altered decisions regarding
family formation. I then provide evidence that women in this cohort returned to
school in later life and relate these findings to the “quiet revolution” taking place
as women learned about the benefits of school and work over the second half of
the twentieth century.