Social Inequality, Children's Health, and Educational Outcomes

• In Event: Inequality and Family Life: Effects on Learning and Life Chances

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of adverse health on educational performance in ele-mentary school children from a longitudinal perspective, using data of the Millennium Cohort Study (UK). Health is commonly considered an important resource of indi-viduals for fulfilling their social roles. However, the chances if growing up healthy are unequally distributed amongst the society: Children of lower social strata have higher risks for most adverse health outcomes and health risk behaviors. I argue that health inequality might be an important, but mostly overlooked mechanism that strengthens the intergenerational reproduction of the inequality of educational opportunity. The paper analyses the effect of adverse health on school grades, it causal mechanisms, and its interplay with parent’s social status.

Author

• Julia Tuppat, Freie Universität Berlin