Abstract
Given the many economic and social benefits conferred upon the graduates of selective universities, it is important to understand the avenues through which socioeconomically advantaged students access selective postsecondary institutions. Prior research documents that parental level of education, occupation, and income are associated with the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university. Our study builds upon this literature in examining whether the selectivity of a parent's undergraduate degree contributes to a child enrolling in a selective university, independent of family income, ascriptive characteristics, and child academic ability. We find that having a parent who graduated from a selective university is associated with a three-fold increase in the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university, even when we control for a variety of family advantages. These findings shed further light on the role of education in processes of social mobility and intergenerational inequality by showing that elites transmit status to their children through the type of institutions accessed in addition to the level of education attained.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 86-98 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Research in Social Stratification and Mobility |
| Volume | 46 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2016 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Cite this
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Inherited prestige : Intergenerational access to selective universities in the United States. / Ford, Karly Sarita; Thompson, Jason.
In: Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Vol. 46, 01.12.2016, p. 86-98.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Inherited prestige
T2 - Intergenerational access to selective universities in the United States
AU - Ford, Karly Sarita
AU - Thompson, Jason
PY - 2016/12/1
Y1 - 2016/12/1
N2 - Given the many economic and social benefits conferred upon the graduates of selective universities, it is important to understand the avenues through which socioeconomically advantaged students access selective postsecondary institutions. Prior research documents that parental level of education, occupation, and income are associated with the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university. Our study builds upon this literature in examining whether the selectivity of a parent's undergraduate degree contributes to a child enrolling in a selective university, independent of family income, ascriptive characteristics, and child academic ability. We find that having a parent who graduated from a selective university is associated with a three-fold increase in the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university, even when we control for a variety of family advantages. These findings shed further light on the role of education in processes of social mobility and intergenerational inequality by showing that elites transmit status to their children through the type of institutions accessed in addition to the level of education attained.
AB - Given the many economic and social benefits conferred upon the graduates of selective universities, it is important to understand the avenues through which socioeconomically advantaged students access selective postsecondary institutions. Prior research documents that parental level of education, occupation, and income are associated with the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university. Our study builds upon this literature in examining whether the selectivity of a parent's undergraduate degree contributes to a child enrolling in a selective university, independent of family income, ascriptive characteristics, and child academic ability. We find that having a parent who graduated from a selective university is associated with a three-fold increase in the likelihood that a child will attend a selective university, even when we control for a variety of family advantages. These findings shed further light on the role of education in processes of social mobility and intergenerational inequality by showing that elites transmit status to their children through the type of institutions accessed in addition to the level of education attained.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992088594&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84992088594&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rssm.2016.09.002
DO - 10.1016/j.rssm.2016.09.002
M3 - Article
VL - 46
SP - 86
EP - 98
JO - Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
JF - Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
SN - 0276-5624
ER -