Growing inequality in families has prompted interest in the intergenerational transmission of advantage, with much attention to the early years (e.g., young children’s “school readiness” and parental child-rearing practices).
However, the long contemporary transition to adulthood lengthens children’s dependence on family resources and increases the potential for parental influence on attainment. Whereas status attainment researchers focus on parental encouragement of aspirations and plans, these are no longer as reflective of SES origins or as predictive of attainment as in prior cohorts. Findings from the threegeneration longitudinal Youth Development Study indicate that other psychological resources that promote attainment likewise “run in families,” including the academic self-concept, intrinsic and extrinsic occupational values, optimism, and control orientation.
Parents of higher socioeconomic status also increase their children’s life chances by providing financial support as they confront the challenges of transition to adulthood. These various mechanisms serve to foster the maintenance of inequality across generations.
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