Every society prescribes the timing of critical events in the life cycle, such as those attending motherhood. Patterns of role transition at variance with social prescriptions should produce role stress. Thus, when the adult roles associated with motherhood are activated too early in a woman' life cycle, stress and resultant social pathologies should be generated in the family. This study employs national survey data, finding that early motherhood, a form of accelerated role transition, is closely associated with high incidence of marital dissolution, poverty, and truncated education.