First-Generation Graduates in OECD Countries

First-Generation Graduates in OECD Countries | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Social Sciences - Article First-Generation Graduates in OECD Countries Michele Pellizzari, Alessandro Fabbri This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper examines earnings differences between first-generation and continuing-generation college graduates across 23 OECD countries using data from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). In all but one of the countries analysed, first-generation graduates earn less than their peers from college-educated families, with an average gap across all countries of approximately 8%. We investigate potential mechanisms behind this result and find that first-generation graduates are less likely to pursue postgraduate education, more likely to hold vocational degrees, and tend to have lower numeracy competence. These findings highlight the need for policy interventions to enhance educational mobility and promote equality of opportunity. JEL classification: I23, I24, J62. Keywords: Inequality, Tertiary education, Intergenerational mobilit Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Economics Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Education Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Sociology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Appendices.pdf Appendices Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6256031","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Social Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":433363756,"identity":"6a42fb01-4a65-48b7-a7ce-bc89b2d0a00c","order_by":0,"name":"Michele Pellizzari","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFklEQVRIie3Rv0vEMBTA8XcE0uXJrZXC+RcIrxxcOfz1r6QcOIl0dNDaW7ylf0AG/w7nHAFdFFfBwevS2UluKGhSTxEv1lUw36Uh7Yc8UgCf7y/GgANk7WqqRPtkCoDsCjtI+0GvWBEuugl8Je8bSKs3brI9Y/XimXYhCaaFWjT5VjLDlyjLzgYQ3CkXGWmexJIOYVzOzWDI40u9cRVJuhkCHgs3QR4haaCH1JAQe5IZgnSdFuHnhOukoVegp8oQCg8kw9qS804CpMwp9sYEpYbYc08F/Ej4aLOkCY5LO5gSE8n4cAdJxRd45Cb3ug6XJ/uDJNDzatnke7Kvq0c0V9cPbp3ko7UZtP1f3X0n+W/A5/P5/k9vIMNXXO95LVUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8685-6250","institution":"University of Geneva","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Michele","middleName":"","lastName":"Pellizzari","suffix":""},{"id":433363757,"identity":"512d671f-308c-40d2-9db2-e34af7fb271e","order_by":1,"name":"Alessandro Fabbri","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7910-6937","institution":"University of Geneva","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alessandro","middleName":"","lastName":"Fabbri","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-03-18 20:10:51","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82394898,"identity":"c0f7e504-b591-4c43-a03d-59d87c7a0edd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-09 19:58:22","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":653800,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"FirstGenmain.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6256031/v1_covered_53728de7-472f-4fea-b60f-db9a96c6b156.pdf"},{"id":79271192,"identity":"8ad522fe-796d-4156-b1bd-d6632206effa","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-26 11:21:34","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":343614,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Appendices","description":"","filename":"Appendices.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6256031/v1/422cd9bfe61a551894ff14e5.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"First-Generation Graduates in OECD Countries","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis paper examines earnings differences between first-generation and continuing-generation college graduates across 23 OECD countries using data from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). In all but one of the countries analysed, first-generation graduates earn less than their peers from college-educated families, with an average gap across all countries of approximately 8%. We investigate potential mechanisms behind this result and find that first-generation graduates are less likely to pursue postgraduate education, more likely to hold vocational degrees, and tend to have lower numeracy competence. These findings highlight the need for policy interventions to enhance educational mobility and promote equality of opportunity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJEL classification: I23, I24, J62. Keywords: Inequality, Tertiary education, Intergenerational mobilit\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"First-Generation Graduates in OECD Countries","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-26 11:21:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6256031/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d293d1c1-c802-418e-b8e9-caa75b830e67","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 26th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":46145183,"name":"Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Economics"},{"id":46145184,"name":"Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Education"},{"id":46145185,"name":"Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Sociology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-09T19:50:14+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-26 11:21:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6256031","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6256031","identity":"rs-6256031","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}