Educational Assortative Mating and Children's School Readiness

Audrey Beck and Carlos Gonzalez-Sancho
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Audrey Beck: Princeton University
Carlos Gonzalez-Sancho: Juan March Institute and Nuffield College

No 1142, Working Papers from Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing.

Abstract: One of the concerns behind parental educational sorting is its potential to widen disparities in the ability of families to invest in their children's development. Using data from the Fragile Families and Children Wellbeing Study, this paper investigates the association between parental educational homogamy and children's school readiness at age 5. Our analyses reveal a positive impact of homogamy across child outcomes, most notably on socio-emotional indicators of development. Enhanced levels of parental agreement about the organization of family life and symmetry in the allocation of time to child care emerge as the intervening mechanisms behind this association. Our findings lend support to theoretical claims about the relevance of within-family social capital in the creation of human capital.

Keywords: Human capital; social capital; fragile families; school readiness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 D63 I21 I38 J12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pri:crcwel:wp09-05-ff.pdf

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