Trends in Intergenerational Educational Mobility in China: New Evidence for the 1986-95 Birth Cohort

Jiawei Wu , Asian Demographic Research Institute, Shanghai University
Guillaume Marois, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Background: Research on educational mobility for Chinese citizens born in or before the 1980s abounds. However, little is known about the educational mobility for the 1986-95 birth cohort and where it stands in the long-term trends. Objective: We document the trends in educational attainment and educational mobility. We also explore the role played by offspring's hukou origin (urban or rural) and ethnicity (Han or ethnic minorities). Method: We analysed data from the 1982, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020 China Censuses and 11 waves of China General Social Survey (CGSS). Results: In the 1986-95 birth cohort, women's educational percentile ranks for secondary and tertiary levels were lower than men's in China, suggesting a higher percentage of well-educated women. From 1976-85 to 1986-95 birth cohorts, parent-child rank-rank correlation in education remained stable in all parent-child dyads. Educational persistence was constantly higher for offspring with urban hukou origin. Educational mobility continued to decline for men and women of urban hukou origin, but it increased for women of rural hukou origin. We did not find ethnicity differences. Conclusion: There is some evidence of the reversal of women's disadvantage in education. Educational mobility was constantly weaker for offspring of urban hukou origin. Educational policies introduced around the 1990s may have contributed to greater educational mobility for women of rural hukou origin who were historically disadvantaged. Contribution: Our study shows the latest trends in (a) educational attainment and (b) parent-child educational correlation by offspring's gender and hukou origin in China for the 1986-95 birth cohort.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History