Eaton was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. Eaton attended T. C. Williams High School where she graduated in 1975 as the valedictorian. She earned a bachelor's degree in social studies from Harvard-Radcliffe College in 1979 magna cum laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. During her undergraduate years, she started Seventh Sister, a feminist alternative to The Harvard Crimson. She was involved with protesting investments by Harvard University in South Africa. She earned a master's degree in public administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1993. She was a Harmon Fellow. She completed a doctor of philosophy in industrial relations and organization studies at MIT Sloan School of Management. Her mentors were Thomas Anton Kochan and Lotte Bailyn. Her dissertation in 2000 was titled Work-family integration in biotechnology: implications for firms and employees.
