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Life Expectancy and Parental Education in Germany

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  • Mathias Huebener

Abstract

This study analyses the relationship between life expectancy and parental education. Based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study and survival analysis models, we show that maternal education is related to children’s life expectancy – even after controlling for children’sown level of education. This applies equally to daughters and sons as well as to children’s further life expectancies examined at age 35 to age 65. This pattern is more pronounced for younger cohorts. In most cases, the education of the father is not significantly related to children’s life expectancy. Neither the vocational training nor the occupational position of the parents in childhood, which both correlate with household income, can explain the connection. The health behaviour of the children and the health accumulated over the life course appear as important channels. This study extends the previous literature that focused mostly on the relationship between individuals’ own education and their life expectancy. It implies that the link between education and life expectancy is substantially stronger and that returns to education are higher if the intergenerational component is considered.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathias Huebener, 2019. "Life Expectancy and Parental Education in Germany," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1023, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp1023
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    File URL: https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.616169.de/diw_sp1023.pdf
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    Cited by:

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    2. Simona Rasciute, 2023. "Parental education and child health: The exploration of the cross‐gender intergenerational transmission mechanism," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(4), pages 642-658, November.
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    4. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Jason Fletcher, 2024. "Unhooking the Past: Early-life Exposure to Hookworm Eradication and Later-life Longevity," NBER Working Papers 33249, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Cornelissen, Thomas & Dang, Thang, 2022. "The multigenerational impacts of educational expansion: Evidence from Vietnam," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Viera Ivanková & Rastislav Kotulič & Jaroslav Gonos & Martin Rigelský, 2019. "Health Care Financing Systems and Their Effectiveness: An Empirical Study of OECD Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-22, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health inequality; returns to education; mortality; parental background; human capital; survival analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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