Competition in the Family: Inequality between Siblings and the Intergenerational Transmission of Educational Advantage

Abstract

Research on educational mobility is concerned with inequalities between families. Differences in innate abilities and parental responses lead, however, to educational differences between siblings. If parental responses vary by family socioeconomic background, within-family inequality can affect between-family inequality (i.e., educational mobility). This study uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) to test whether sibling similarity in education varies by family socioeconomic background. In addition, I test whether the effects of birth order, birth spacing, and maternal age on education vary by family background. Results show that sibling similarity in education is similar in low-and high-socioeconomic status families. The negative influences of a higher birth order and a younger maternal age on educational attainment, however, are concentrated in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. These findings suggest that socioeconomically advantaged families do not generally compensate for ability differences between their children but that they compensate for disadvantageous life events.

Universal family background effects on education across and within societies

“…With respect to variation in educational mobility across social groups, we found no evidence that sibling similarity in education varies by family socioeconomic background. Our findings are in line with previous research which found no such differences in Germany (Grätz 2018) and the United States (Conley 2008;Conley and Glauber 2008;Conley et al 2007). We replicate and expand these findings to a plurality of educational outcomes (cognitive skills, school grades, and final educational attainment) and societies (Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States).…”

“…Evidence on the variation of sibling similarity by family socioeconomic background is mixed and results are so far limited to two countries. Previous research analyzing the variation of sibling 9 similarity between social groups in the United States (Conley 2008;Conley and Glauber 2008;Conley et al 2007) and Germany (Grätz 2018) found no variation in sibling similarity by family socioeconomic background with respect to cognitive skills and educational attainment. However, Conley and Glauber (2008) found higher levels of sibling resemblance in earnings and household income in the United States for siblings from socioeconomically advantaged families compared with siblings from socioeconomically disadvantaged families.…”

“…This approach is motivated by the idea that siblings share the same family and immediate environment and that the similarity of siblings can capture, therefore, the universal influence of family background on children's educational outcomes. 6 A number of studies estimated educational mobility using sibling correlations and data on Australia, several European countries, and the United States (Anger and Schnitzlein 2017;Benin and Johnson 1984;Björklund and Jännti 2012;Björklund and Salvanes 2011;Conley 2008;Conley and Glauber 2008;Conley, Pfeiffer, and Velez 2007;de Graaf and Huinink 1992;Duncan, Boisjoly, and Harris 2001;Grätz 2018;Hauser and Mossel 1985;Hauser and Wong 1989;Jencks et al 1972Jencks et al , 1979Kuo and Hauser 1995;Marks and Mooi-Reci 2016;Mazumder 2008;Nicoletti and Rabe 2013;Olneck 1977;Schnitzlein 2014;de Graaf 2001, 2003;Sieben, Huinink, and de Graaf 2001;Teachman 1995;Toka and Dronkers 1996).…”

“…Second, a further concern with regard to sibling correlations is that siblings may have different experiences within the family. For instance, evidence from family fixed-effects models 7 demonstrates that birth order differences lead to inequality in educational outcomes between siblings (Black, Devereux, and Salvanes 2005;Conley et al 2007;Grätz 2018;Härkönen 2014).…”

A Role of Siblings in Perception of Academic Self-Efficacy and Social Support

“…We should state that respondents of the study were the Netherlands born between 1918 and 1974; therefore, the conclusions may not be fully sociologically relevant. The significance of birth order for a school success was researched also by Grätz (2018) in Germany. The author found that the presumed negative impact of birth order (as well as maternal age) on education is specific for socioeconomically disadvantaged families.…”