Can Children Overcome Their Parents’ Disadvantage? June 20, 2012
Contact: Timothy Smeeding, (608) 890-1317,
firstname.lastname@example.org MADISON – Children tend to
“inherit” their parents’ socioeconomic status. Offspring of
parents with advanced degrees, high income, or great wealth
usually enjoy similar status and economic security in their own
adulthood, and children of parents without these advantages tend
to remain disadvantaged when they grow up. This is true in the
United States and many other countries as well, and many people
think such inequality is unfair. What is not known is how and
why advantage is passed on from parent to child; how
transmission varies over the life course; whether advantage
accumulates within generations; and what policies, institutions,
and processes (such as universal preschool, for example) mediate
the link. Cross-national studies can provide a unique glimpse
into the mechanisms behind inequality and mobility, which could
lead to promising strategies for leveling the playi