The present study uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative data on forty-four married mothers and 231 of their non-familial associates to investigate changes in the mothers' friendship networks during their first year of enrolment in a university. Drawing upon theories of status similarity and reference groups, it was anticipated that the women's friendship networks would be affected both by changes in status similarity to their associates, and by the women's degree of involvement in the new focus of activity. It was found that (1) the women and their husbands reported that well-educated friends held predominantly positive attitudes towards the enrolment, while less educated friends held predominantly negative attitudes towards it; and (2) full-time students' closeness and frequency of interaction with less educated friends declined notably over the year, while a similar pattern did not emerge among part-time students. Explanations for these patterns are discussed.
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