Equalizing or Stratifying? Intergenerational Persistence across College Degrees

The literature has shown inconsistent support for the equalization thesis, that is, the idea that a college degree erases the effect of social origin on socioeconomic destination, and suggested higher intergenerational persistence among advanced degree holders compared to those with bachelor’s degrees. The present study sheds light on the origin-destination link by investigating the intergenerational association between parents’ education and offspring’s earnings, paying attention to parents’ education relative to their children’s. Drawing on large samples and multiple waves of data from the National Survey of College Graduates, this study also makes an empirical contribution by analyzing intergenerational persistence across degree types. For women, I find highest intergenerational persistence at the bachelor level, but little evidence of intergenerational association for any advanced degrees. For men, results show intergenerational persistence across educational groups. Differences across respondents holding different types of degree support a theory of intergenerational relative education advantage, in which the effect of parents’ education on offspring’s attainment varies depending on offspring’s education relative to their parents. Educational and labor market-related factors do not change the overall picture.