Skip to content
Cover of Persistence, privilege, and parenting

Persistence, privilege, and parenting

by Timothy M. Smeeding

FamiliesGenerationsLongitudinal studiesSocial mobilityEconomic aspectsCost and standard of livingFamilyReproduction

Americans like to believe that theirs is the land of opportunity, but the hard facts are that children born into poor families in the United States tend to stay poor and children born into wealthy families generally stay rich. Other countries have shown more success at lessening the effects of inequality on mobility possibly by making public investments in education, health, and family well-being that offset the private advantages of the wealth. What can the United States learn from these other countries about how to provide children form disadvantaged backgrounds an equal chance in life? Making comparisons across ten countries, Persistence, Privilege, and Parenting brings together a team of eminent international scholars to examine why advantage and disadvantage persist across generations. The book sheds light on how the social and economic mobility of children differs within and across counties and the impact private family resources, public policies, and social institutions may have on mobility. In what ways do parents pass advantage or disadvantage on to their children? Persistence, Privilege, and Parenting is an expansive exploration of the relationship between parental socioe

Writing a summary for young readers…

For young readers

Book data: Open Library