Time to Read: Family Resources and Educational Outcomes in Britain

Abstract

This paper explores the role of the family-in particular family background, family structure and social and cultural resources-in explaining educational achievement in Britain. We use extensive panel data to track the relationship between family characteristics and factors associated with educational attainment for individuals from birth to age 33. Our results show that although social class is an important predictor of academic ability and educational outcomes, cultural and social resources in the family also play an independent role. Social resources in the family have direct and lasting positive effects on academic success and also play an indirect role by affecting childhood reading habits, which in tum affect educational success. Parental cultural practices are less important to early academic success, though they are positively related to the eventual likelihood of obtaining a university degree. In contrast,- family size and structure are related to academic achievement early in life but have no direct effect on final educational outcomes. We conclude that the role of cultural and social resources in the family should not be dismissed when attempting to explain educational outcomes.