Social Origin and Access to Top Occupations among the Highest Educated in the United Kingdom

U.S. studies have found that stratified graduate education accounts for most of the relatively strong intergenerational socioeconomic association among postgraduate degree holders. The same has been observed, but not explained, in countries with higher systems differ from United States. We explore mediation role undergraduate- and graduate-level stratification accounting occupational holders Kingdom. find unequal distribution undergraduate-level path dependency between help to give rise an outcome by social origin explain this tight coupling undergraduate Our analysis also illustrates need go beyond understanding inequality examine how it is linked education.