It is easier to climb the social ladder and earn more than one’s parents in the Nordic countries, Australia and Canada than in France, Italy, Britain and the United States, according to a new OECD study. Intergenerational Social Mobility: a family affair? says weak social mobility can signal a lack of equal opportunities, constrain productivity and curb economic growth.
Climbing the social ladder depends on a range of factors such as individual ability, family and social environments, networks and attitudes. But public action – particularly education and to some extent tax policies - can play an key role in helping people achieve a higher income and social status than their parents.
Across all countries family and socio-economic background is a major influence on a person’s level of education and earnings, but the impact of parental education, or lack of it, on a child’s future prospects is particularly marked in southern European countries and the UK.
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