The paradoxical role of social class background in the educational and labour market outcomes of the children of immigrants in the UK

Zuccotti, Carolina V. and Platt, Lucinda ORCID: 0000-0002-8251-6400 (2023) The paradoxical role of social class background in the educational and labour market outcomes of the children of immigrants in the UK. British Journal of Sociology, 74 (4). 733 - 754. ISSN 0007-1315

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Abstract

Despite predominantly lower social class origins, the second generation of established immigrant groups in the UK are now attaining high levels of education. However, they continue to experience poorer labour market outcomes than the majority population. These worse outcomes are often attributed in part to their disadvantaged origins, which do not, by contrast, appear to constrain their educational success. This paper engages with this paradox. We discuss potential mechanisms for second-generation educational success and how far we might expect these to be replicated in labour market outcomes. We substantiate our discussion with new empirical analysis. Drawing on a unique longitudinal study of England and Wales spanning 40 years and encompassing one per cent of the population, we present evidence on the educational and labour market outcomes of the second generation of four groups of immigrants and the white British majority, controlling for multiple measures of social origins. We demonstrate that second-generation men and women’s educational advantage is only partially reflected in the labour market. We reflect on the implications of our findings for future research.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14684446
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences L Education H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Date Deposited:	06 Jul 2023 10:27
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2024 22:18
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/119647

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