Do Iranian Women Follow Their Parents? Intergenerational Educational Mobility Among Women in Rasht, Iran

Background and Aim: Social mobility, a core dimension of stratification systems, remains understudied among women in Iran despite its theoretical significance for understanding social inequality. This study examines intergenerational educational and occupational mobility among married women in Rasht, addressing gaps in gender-specific research and evaluating the link between educational attainment and professional advancement. Data and Method: A cross-sectional survey of ۸۰۰ married women in Rasht was conducted using a stratified random sampling design based on age, education, and district strata. The questionnaires collected demographic, parental, and respondent education and occupation data, analyzed through mobility matrices and log-linear models. Findings: The study reveals significant differences: ۷۹.۹۷% of respondents achieved upward educational mobility relative to their fathers, and ۸۹.۹۳% relative to their mothers. In contrast, only ۳۶.۶% attained upward occupational mobility relative to their fathers. This mismatch challenges the assumption that educational gains translate linearly into professional progress, indicating that structural labour market barriers constrain women’s career trajectories. Conclusion: The findings highlight persistent gender barriers to translating education into occupational mobility in Iran. To maximize social returns and reduce inequality, policymakers must enforce pay transparency, subsidize childcare, and implement public-sector management quotas for women, utilizing this actionable empirical baseline. Key Message: Theoretically, this study shows that in contexts like Iran, educational and occupational mobility can no longer be assumed to be two sides of the same coin. This decoupling of concepts requires a rethinking of conventional models of social mobility and a critical reevaluation of the 'social returns' on the substantial investment in women's higher education.

کلیدواژه ها:

Educational mobility ، Intergenerational mobility ، Occupational status ، Social mobility ، Social stratification