Parental education and work: effects on youth’s higher education opportunities in Indonesia

Higher education plays a pivotal role in shaping individuals’ economic and social mobility. Yet in Indonesia, access to higher education remains uneven and continues to be heavily influenced by family background. Using the 2023 National Socio-Economic Survey, this study focuses on co-resident youth aged 18–26 whose parental characteristics are observable. After applying sequential inclusion criteria and listwise deletion for missing key variables, the final analytical sample comprises approximately 46,000 youths. Binary and multinomial logit models are estimated to assess how parental education and employment relate to higher education participation and to youths’ decisions between vocational and university pathways. The findings show that parental education is strongly correlate of higher education access. Fathers’ higher education is associated with a 5.18 percentage-point increase in youths’ probability of entering higher education, while mothers’ higher education is associated with a 4.47 percentage-point increase. These associations are stronger for university enrolment than for diploma programs. Fathers’ education is positively linked to enrolment for both sons and daughters, whereas mothers’ education exhibits a particularly strong association with daughters’ likelihood of attending university. These patterns underscore the need for policies that expand equitable access by providing well-targeted financial assistance and improving access to educational information.