About sad legacies: a study of the intergenerational occupational legacy in Brazil

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims to analyze the workers' probabilities of following their parents’ occupational legacy and whether these individuals are paid differently compared to those who opted for occupations different from their parents, in Brazil.Design/methodology/approachTo that end, the occupational legacy probability equation was estimated as the quantile wage equations with sample selection bias correction and the wage decomposition for Brazil from the microdata of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of 2014. It was found that families have a strong influence on the process of choosing the careers of their children. The average probability of a young person following the occupational legacy of their parents was 41.63%. This percentage is different when analyzing different groups of individuals, such as being male or female, being in a traditional or single parent family, being in an income household lower or higher per capita.FindingsThe results also confirm the hypothesis that workers who tend to follow the occupational legacy have lower wages than individuals who choose other occupations and that this may cause a “poverty trap” since the lower the salary quantile, the stronger the “trap” as economically disadvantaged young people tend to follow in their parents' footsteps and to contribute to family income they face a tradeoff, opt between work or study, which ends up disrupting their education and forcing young people to entering the job market early, performing secondary occupations with lower income and arduous work, generating a “vicious cycle of poverty”.Research limitations/implicationsGiven the database, we are comprised to its most recent version.Practical implicationsThis is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.Originality/valueThis is the first work on Latin American problem of occupational legacy.

Nursing students admitted through the affirmative action system display similar performance in professional and academic trajectories to those from the regular path in a public school in Brazil

“…That is, students with the greatest social vulnerability were the ones who had the highest earnings after attending undergraduate programs. Indeed, increased access to higher education via affirmative action may be an effective mechanism to promote intergenerational mobility, leading the students to achieve levels of socioeconomic status above those of their parents [ 5 , 11 ].…”

“…However, this does not reflect reality since socioeconomic inequality remains a challenge in the global human rights agenda [ 1 , 2 ]. Furthermore, the disparities between classes are more pronounced in some countries than others [ 2 – 5 ]. In this aspect, Brazil is renowned for its persistent socioeconomic and racial inequality stemming from its history of colonization and slavery [ 2 – 8 ].…”

“…The lack of access to higher education for students from the most vulnerable social classes may perpetuate socioeconomic inequities since it leads them to secondary jobs and hinders social mobility [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 11 – 13 ]. Education level and career choice are essential factors to a student’s future socioeconomic condition.…”

“…In this regard, parents’ socioeconomic status primarily impacts their children’s educational level and career. High-income families may generate significant investment in their children’s education, while students from less privileged socioeconomic classes may experience restrictions that can limit their opportunities [ 5 , 11 ].…”

Non-academic employment and matching satisfaction among PhD graduates with high intersectoral mobility potential

“…Family background is proxied by the father's education (dummy = 1 for those whose father holds a university degree or a higher title) and occupation (dummy = 1 for those whose father has/had a white-collar job). Some studies have demonstrated that families have a strong influence on career choices by their children (Gomes et al , 2020), while others have highlighted that parents might increase individual employment opportunities and occupational outcomes thanks to their networks (Ordine and Rose, 2015). Finally, one dummy variable observes respondents' migration between university graduation and PhD enrollment.…”