Impact of intergenerational educational mobility on the health of older parents: evidence from rural China

Abstract Offspring’s education can serve as a valuable channel of resource transfer and social mobility for older parents, especially those with lower socio-economic status owing to its potential impact on health. However, there is a notable gap in research exploring the health consequences of intergenerational educational mobility, particularly across different ages and genders. This study considers the market and family spheres, and proposes a dual-axis model of resource allocation. Utilizing data from the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey from 2014 to 2020, it investigates the impact of intergenerational educational mobility on the health of rural older Chinese parents and the underlying mechanisms by which the different impacts work. It reveals that intergenerational educational mobility affects the health of older parents through the dual axes of market and family-based economic resource transmission. Senior parents suffer more negative effects from downward mobility than younger contemporaries, and older mothers benefit more from upward mobility than fathers. Upward educational mobility could improve the health of older parents through increased offspring income, whereas significant intergenerational financial support has only a substantial impact on older health when the educational mobility distance is greater. This underscores the importance of considering intergenerational educational mobility in understanding health outcomes and provides new insights into the relationships between mechanism variables. It suggests that policy makers should focus on improving the educational environment, supporting parental investment in education and expanding educational opportunities for younger generations, to enhance the health and wellbeing of older generations by fostering positive intergenerational dynamics and resource allocation.