Title

Educational Assortative Mating and Children's School Readiness

Author(s)

Audrey Beck Audrey Beck (Princeton University)

Carlos Gonzalez-Sancho Carlos Gonzalez-Sancho (Juan March Institute and Nuffield College)

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.

Creation Date

2009-03

Section URL ID

CRCW

Paper Number

WP09-05-FF.pdf

URL

https://fragilefamilies.princeton.edu/sites/fragilefamilies/files/wp09-05-ff.pdf

File Function

Jel

D100, D630, I380, J120, I210

Keyword(s)

Human capital, social capital, fragile families, school readiness

Suppress

false

Series

8