Results of this analysis revealed both consistencies and inconsistencies with life-courses theories. Some support was found for the suggestion that marriages may be more effectual for males because they are apt to marry partners with less-deviant histories, thereby increasing the conventionalizing influence of marriage. Whereas marriage was of some consequence for males, no equivalent relationship surfaced for the sample of females challenging recent arguments that marriage is an equally beneficial institution for men and women. In addition, the influence of marriage on crime is contingent on female respondents’ propensities to marry. Both gender and one’s propensity to marry, in conjunction, are significant for understanding the role of normative institutions and crime over the life course. Research shows marriage as a central consideration in contemporary theories of crime and desistance. However, identifying the true “treatment effect” of marriage is difficult. This study pursued three objectives. First, it examined the association between marriage and crime using a propensity score matching approach. Second, it investigated gender contingencies in the marriage-crime nexus. Third, it examined whether the association between marriage and crime was contingent on an individual’s likelihood to marry. Tables, figures, references and appendix