D4 Published development or research report or study

Intergenerational social mobility of cohorts born from 1951 to 1980 in Finland




AuthorsRuggera Lucia, Kilpi-Jakonen Elina, Erola Jani

PublisherTurun yliopisto

Publishing placeTurku

Publication year2023

Series titleINVEST Working Papers

Number in series66

First page 1

Last page29

ISSN2737-0534

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/u8qsb

Web address https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/u8qsb


Abstract

Theories of change in social class mobility present contrasting expectations of either change or persistence in mobility as societies develop. This article examines intergenerational social class mobility for cohorts born from 1951 to 1980 in Finland. We analyse change across cohorts in the main association between social origins and destinations as well as the intervening associations between origins and education and education and destinations. We investigate how the association between education and destinations differs by origins and by education levels to gain a more complete picture of how meritocratic fairness has changed. We employ full population census and register data, using multiplicative log-linear models. The results suggest that there are some variations in the association between social origins and destinations over cohorts, but they disappear when we consider this association net of education. Educational inequalities have decreased for both men and women, whereas returns to education decrease for men but remain stable for women. Behind these relatively straightforward results is more complexity when we consider how origins, also over cohorts, moderate class returns to education. Accordingly, these results suggest that the labour market is becoming more similar for individuals at different levels of education or coming from different social classes.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 14:24