Number of siblings, family background, and the process of educational attainment

Abstract

Abstract Sociological research has found that educational attainment is the most important known determinant of men's occupational positions. Since the educational process occurs primarily while boys depend on their families, sociologists are increasingly interested in familial influences on education. This paper concentrates on the number of siblings in the family, and addresses two principal questions concerning the relation of sibship sire to educational outcomes. First, controlling for family background characteristics, does sibship size affect men's educational attainment and, if so, where in the educational process is this effect most evident? Second, among family variables, what is the relative importance of sibship size compared to the father's education, the father's socioeconomic status, farm background, and a broken family? Research was based on probability samples of 57,000 white men in the United States.