Who Pays the Price for Parental Education–Occupation Mismatch? Evidence From an Israeli City

Abstract

In recent years, education–occupation mismatch has become an important area of social research. However, little is known about its impact on the intergenerational transmission of educational attainment. This study investigates the possible negative consequences of a specific aspect of parental education–occupation mismatch, also known as overeducation, for high school students. Drawing from a sample of high school students in an Israeli city with a high incidence of overeducation, our analysis suggests that parental education–occupation mismatch does not affect student expectations for progressing to higher education. The results did reveal, however, that maternal education–occupation mismatch is related to school truancy among boys and girls, and that paternal education–occupation mismatch contributes to lower odds of enrollment in advanced science courses, especially among boys.