Family influences on intergenerational inequality: Family dynamics and birth order

Research on intergenerational inequality has primarily focused on the relationships between parental and filial socioeconomic standing. A related literature has concerned whether family dynamics and position in the family relate to intergenerational inequality. This entry reviews work on the relationships between family dynamics and intergenerational inequality, as well as on birth order and intergenerational inequality. Increases in family dissolutions and family complexity has stimulated a large research literature into their impacts on children’s life chances. While family transitions imply major changes in children’s living circumstances which in some cases have long-term implications, the importance of family dynamics in the intergenerational reproduction of inequality is at most moderate. The other part of the chapter reviews research into the effects of birth order: First-born children systematically attain higher socioeconomic status and perform better according to several measures. We discuss the implications of this finding for intergenerational inequality.