Family Socialization and Educational Attainment: Evidence from a Dutch Cohort

This article explores the relation between family background and educational attainment. The total effect of the social status of parents on the educational status of their children at the age of 17 is very substantial. If the total effect of socio-economic background on the educational status at the age of 17 is set at 100%, one could say that 30% of this effect is due to selection processes at secondary school, about 30% is due to selection processes at primary school and the remaining 40% to pre-school differences. These effects of socio-economic background on the educational career relate primarily to the family's cultural capital.