Age, period, cohort and educational attainment: The importance of considering gender

Over the past century, the United States has experienced substantial population-wide gains in educational attainment – increases driven largely by processes of cohort succession. Focusing on the adult population age 25–54, we show that there has been (1) a significant attenuation of the historical increases in educational attainment, and (2) a shift in the processes underlying educational change that differs by gender. Our analysis points to a significant turning point in population-wide educational levels, and from a research perspective, has implications for how one interprets findings when using education as a control variable.