By: Together Abroad 28-01-2015
Children growing up in families living on social benefits often have a lower level of education at 30 than their peers. Irrespective of education level, the number of children from households living on social benefits who receive benefits later in life is also above average. There are various reasons for this phenomenon, e.g. it may be genetically determined or it may be the set of norms and values an individual grows up with. Sons and daughters are most often high-educated and employed, if they were raised in families with working parents or a working father and a mother with no income of her own.
Inter-generational relation benefit dependency mainly found among low-educated
Benefit dependency occurred much more often among low-educated men and especially women around the age of thirty than among men and women educated at secondary or higher level. If low-educated people grew up in families with parent(s) living on benefits, the share of adult sons and daughters also claiming benefits was even higher; this applied to 34 percent for low-educated sons and more than 40 percent of low-educated daughters. The shares are lower for secondary and high-educated adult children, but still much higher than for sons and daughters with two working parents.
Socio-economic position parents not the only factor
Figures show that there is a distinct relation between the socio-economic position of the parents and the performance level at school of the children. Young people who attained a high level of education have better chances on the job market, but regardless of education level, more children from parents who lived on benefits at the time they were in education, are later also forced to live on benefits, because children resemble their parents in many aspects, like work ethic, personal competence and ambitions with respect to their working career.
Source: CBS