To What Extent Does Reducing Educational Inequality Decrease Occupational Inequality By Social Origins: A Causal Decomposition Analysis

This study examines how interventions in educational attainment can reduce occupational disparities by social origins. While education plays a crucial role in shaping the relationship between social background and occupational success, limited research directly addresses this question. The study analyzes data from the 2015 Social Stratification and Social Mobility Survey (SSM Survey) in Japan, focusing on employed residents aged 25-64. Using a causal decomposition method, it quantifies the effects of interventions aimed at reducing educational disparities between social categories. The research defines the outcome variable as the respondent's occupational status, the social category as parental occupational status, and the intervention as university enrollment. Findings reveal that universal university enrollment could reduce the disparity in occupational attainment by social origins by up to 40%, indicating that intervening through university enrollment effectively decreases this inequality. However, differences in occupational attainment by social origins persist even with this intervention. While the study demonstrates the significant impact of educational intervention, particularly universal university enrollment, in reducing occupational inequality, it also highlights the approach's limitations. The research emphasizes the need to explore various other intervention methods beyond universal college education. It underscores the importance of analyzing intervention effects within social stratification and educational research, providing valuable insights for academic discourse and policy considerations in addressing societal inequalities.