Influences of parental occupation on children's occupational choices

Abstract

Abstract Purpose – This study examines the relationships between parents’ and children’s occupations to determine the existence of intergenerational transmission of occupations. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the purpose of the study, four predominant occupational types based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO): agriculture and forestry; services and sales; managerial/administrative; and professional/technical are examined using data from the latest (7th) round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS). Two complementary methods involving the correlational analysis and regression-based techniques are used. Findings – The findings indicate the presence of parental influences on children’s occupational choices (samesex and cross-sex) in the Ghanaian labour market, with maternals and same-sector effects having a more substantial influence on children’s occupational choices, especially in agriculture and forestry, and services and sales sectors. Research limitations/implications – The lack of panel data in observing children’s occupational choices over time makes it challenging to assume direct causation. Originality/value – The study is the first to highlight the relative strengths of paternal influence (father’s effect) and maternal impact (mother’s effect) on sons’ and daughters’ occupational choices in Africa. The findings have several implications for intergenerational (im)mobility of occupations including how policymakers can make career guidance more effective.