Exploring the Transition to Higher Education in Greece: Issues of Intergenerational Educational Mobility

Abstract

This article focuses on the study of intergenerational educational mobility in Greece. The primary purpose is to represent quantitatively the transitions of individuals, in order to determine whether and to what extent the educational levels attained are influenced by parental education. The authors use data drawn from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions and the ad hoc module on Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty (a supplement to the EU-SILC survey conducted on an annual basis). In order to explore the correlations between individuals' and their parents' education and to picture the magnitude and directions of their movements, four educational groups were formed, transition matrices were estimated and both absolute and relative mobility indices were calculated. Additionally, a synchronic cohort analysis was carried out to examine any variations among different birth cohorts born between 1939 and 1979.