The Labor Market Returns to &Apos;First in Family&Apos; University Graduates

33 Pages Posted: 7 Dec 2020

See all articles by Anna Adamecz-Völgyi

Anna Adamecz-Völgyi

University College London - UCL Institute of Education

Morag Henderson

University College London - UCL Institute of Education

Dominique Shure

University College London

Abstract

We exploit linked survey-administrative data from England to examine how first in family (FiF) graduates (those whose parents do not have university degrees) fare on the labor market. We find that among graduate women, FiF graduates earn 8.3% less on average than graduate women whose parents have a university degree. For men, we find no such difference. A decomposition of the difference between FiF and non-FiF graduate women reveals that prior academic attainment, whether they attended an 'elite' institution, and whether they needed their degree for their job fully explains this gap. We also estimate returns to graduation for potential FiF and non-FiF young people. We find that although the wage returns to graduation are higher among FiF women compared to women who match their parents with a degree, the negative effects of coming from a lower educated family are so large that they counteract the high returns of graduation.

JEL Classification: I24, I26, J24

Suggested Citation

Adamecz-Völgyi, Anna and Henderson, Morag and Shure, Dominique, The Labor Market Returns to &Apos;First in Family&Apos; University Graduates. IZA Discussion Paper No. 13911, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3743135 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3743135

Anna Adamecz-Völgyi (Contact Author)

University College London - UCL Institute of Education

20 Bedford Way
London, WC1H 0AL
United Kingdom

Morag Henderson

University College London - UCL Institute of Education

20 Bedford Way
London, WC1H 0AL
United Kingdom

Dominique Shure

University College London ( email )

Gower Street
London, WC1E 6BT
United Kingdom

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