It is usually assumed that graduates with similar
degrees are on a level playing field in the labour market. However, this common
perception conceals social differences among the highly educated population.
Following Bourdieu’s thesis that those with a privileged background benefit
most from their degreed education due to the
effects of inheritance of cultural capital, we investigate whether parents’
education affects Master’s degree graduates’ success in the Finnish labour
market. We use nationally representative data of Finnish 25 - 45-year-old
graduates from a broad educational field of business administration and social
sciences (N = 7798). The results show that graduates whose parents have not
attained post-compulsory education have lower success rates in the labour
market than other graduates. However, graduates whose parents have
attained higher education have similar success rates as graduates whose parents
have attained upper secondary education. In addition, the effect of parents’
education diminishes with graduates’ age and
career progression. Our findings provide new knowledge to policymakers,
university administrations, and employers interested in graduate employability
and social inequality. It is suggested that further research, targeted
measures and career support are needed to ensure that
graduates coming from low-educated families can have equally successful entry to the labour
market.
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