Intergenerational transmission of cognitive and socioemotional skills and social mobility through education. Evidence from Mexico

This study analyzes the transmission mechanisms that contribute to the intergenerational persistence of education. The empirical strategy employs a simultaneous equations model to analyze educational attainment. Cognitive skills—measured through fluid intelligence, assessed via a shortened Raven’s Progressive Matrices test— and socioemotional skills —captured through the Big Five personality traits— are equally important factors in determining educational attainment, even after controlling parental education and household wealth. While household wealth did not have a direct effect, it indirectly influenced children's skills. Parental education directly affects children's educational attainment and indirectly influences their skills. This suggests that both parents' wealth and educational level are catalysts for the development of their children's skills and, consequently, their educational level and social mobility.