Gendered pathways to intergenerational mobility: the role of cognitive and noncognitive skills in PIAAC

Purpose This study aims to examine the gender gaps in intergenerational educational mobility across 23 OECD countries and identify whether and to what extent cognitive and noncognitive skills contribute to these. Design/methodology/approach Using PIAAC II Cycle data, this study builds four mobility measures and applies the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition to assess the role of skills in gender differences in mobility. Findings Men display lower educational mobility than women in nearly all countries. In the explained component of the gap, cognitive skills, particularly numeracy, are the main contributors, generally favoring men. Noncognitive traits like conscientiousness and open-mindedness follow, typically contributing to women’s mobility. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first cross-country study to jointly examine the role of cognitive and noncognitive skills in shaping gender gaps in educational mobility, highlighting the relevance of skill-building.