Is Higher Education the "Great Equalizer"? Multigenerational Perspectives on Educational Mobility

Higher education is often portrayed as "the great equalizer" because of its potential to enable individuals to transcend their social origins. Yet little is known about whether the gains associated with upward educational mobility are transmitted to subsequent generations, or how parental downward mobility shapes children's educational outcomes. This session invites papers that examine the transmission of educational inequalities through multigenerational and path-dependent processes of educational attainment across different societal contexts, institutional settings, and educational stages. The session seeks contributions addressing: (1) multigenerational processes of educational attainment and mobility; (2) the consequences of parental upward or downward educational mobility for children's educational trajectories; (3) cross-national and comparative perspectives on educational mobility and inequality; (4) the role of institutional contexts, educational systems, and social policies in shaping educational mobility across generations.