Family background, cohort and education: A French-German comparison based on a multivariate ordered probit model of educational attainment

This paper analyses the impact of family background, cohort and gender on educational attainment in France and Germany, on the basis of a theoretical model in which the educational process is broken down into school and post-school achievement. Empirically, the model can be estimated as a multivariate ordered probit. The results show that, in spite of huge differences in the educational distribution, France and Germany prove surprisingly similar regarding the impact of family background and cohorts. However, there are significant dissimilarities depending on the stage observed in the educational career, in particular with respect to gender differences. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.