Children's achievements likely to mirror parents'

EDUCATION

Children's achievements

likely to mirror parents'

A mother's education is a powerful indicator of her children's likely educational achievements, new research suggests. If a mother's highest qualification is an O-level, then her child has only a 12 per cent probability of gaining a university degree, but if the mother is a graduate, the likelihood of her son or daughter following suit is 67 per cent, according to a study by John Ermisch, Professor of Economics at Essex University.

The link is particularly clear between the achievements of mothers and daughters, Professor Ermisch found.

His research, published in a paper titled Family Matters also found no evidence to suggest that having a mother in employment when a child is 14 in any way reduces educational attainment. Controversial research featured in a Panorama programme last month suggested children whose mothers worked full time suffered educationally. By contrast, Professor Ermisch found that having a working mother may even increase the odds that the child goes on to A-levels and beyond.

Family Matters, John Ermisch, pounds 4, Centre for Economic Policy Research. Tel: 0171-878 2900