The intergenerational transmission of education: A case study from Iceland

We estimate the relation between parents' education on the education of their children using survey data from Iceland. We find a positive correlation between the education of parents and their children as well as a positive correlation between parents' emphasis on the importance of educati...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dagsson, Emil, Karlsson, Thorlakur, Gylfi Zoega
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: Reykjavik: University of Iceland, Institute of Economic Studies (IoES) 2018
Subjects:
I21
J13
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10419/273298
Description
Summary:We estimate the relation between parents' education on the education of their children using survey data from Iceland. We find a positive correlation between the education of parents and their children as well as a positive correlation between parents' emphasis on the importance of education and their children's education. The mother's education appears to matter more than that of the father. The correlation between the educational levels is lower than in other countries, including the egalitarian Nordic countries, which suggests a weaker transmission between generations. Moreover, parents who have not received higher education can influence the choices made by their children by emphasizing the importance of education to them.