The role of family social capital in school-to-work transitions of young adults in Germany

Abstract

The school-to-work transition (STWT) represents a challenge for many young people in Germany today. Previous studies have particularly focused on the influence of adolescents' socio-demographic background as well as national institutions and transition regimes. However, qualitative studies have shown that in addition to these factors, adolescents' and young adults' social environment, especially their parental relationships, may also contribute to a more or less promising STWT. Despite these findings, such factors have so far only played a minor role in quantitative research on young people's STWT trajectories. Our aim is to explain STWTs through young people's social embeddedness, assuming that the difficult transition into working life is also shaped by the young people's family context. To achieve this objective, data on the first cohort (birth cohorts 1991–1993) of the German Family Panel (pairfam) are analysed. A sequence and cluster analysis were conducted on these data, which yielded seven transition patterns. In accordance with the structure of the German labour market, these patterns can be described as more linear transitions or non-standard transitions. Multinomial logistic regressions reveal that in addition to parental financial and human capital, indicators of the family's social capital (family structure, parent-child communication as well as emotional security) are decisive for a successful STWT.