The Role of Family Characteristics in Shaping Educational Mobility: Mediators or Moderators of Class and Race?

Jessica Hardie, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This study examines the relationship between ascribed characteristics such as socioeconomic status, race, and gender; family structure; family practices; and educational mobility. I analyze data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth to investigate the relationship between a child’s exposure to cultural and human capital, parent-child interaction styles, time spent in family activities, and whether a youth whose parents never attended college enrolls in college and, if so, which type and selectivity of postsecondary institution. In this analysis, I investigate whether family practices mitigate the relative influence of income, parent’s education, race, and family structure on college choice or whether these family practices interact with socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity to produce differential outcomes. I show that family practices and socioeconomic status are related to college enrollment and selectivity of postsecondary institution. Additionally, I find that family context moderates the relative power of social and cultural capital in providing access to colleges.