Stratified Equality of Opportunity in the German Education System: Evidence from the SOEP-G Data

Abstract The intergenerational transmission of educational attainment remains a key mechanism through which social inequalities are reproduced. While sociological research has long emphasized environmental influences, recent research shows that genetic differences are also relevant to educational attainment, as well as socially contingent in their influences. Using the effects of a polygenic score for educational attainment, this study integrated sociological and genetic perspectives to describe how equality of opportunity is distributed within Germany’s highly stratified educational system. The analysis is based on data from the genotyped Socio-Economic Panel innovation sample (SOEP‑G; N = 1783). The results show that the observed social inequalities in educational attainment cannot be justified by genetic differences, as there is almost no social stratification of education-linked genetics. Although education-linked genetics exhibits strong effects on educational attainment, this is also moderated by social background. Genetic associations are stronger among individuals from advantaged families, supporting theories of social enhancement: Favorable environments amplify opportunities to realize individual differences, whereas disadvantaged environments suppress them. These findings strengthen the sociological argument that inequality in Germany arises not from genetic differences but from unequal social environments. This study therefore removes some of the uncertainty and demonstrates the value of genetically informed sociological stratification research.