SOCIAL ORIGIN AS AN INTEREST-BEARING ASSET - FAMILY BACKGROUND AND LABOR-MARKET REWARDS AMONG EMPLOYEES IN SWEDEN

We analysed the effects of social origin on social class and income fo r a large sample of Swedish employees, aged 25-45, in 1990. The statis tical models are particularly strong in handling mediating effects of educational attainment. The results show that, controlling for level a nd type of education, sons and daughters of higher white-collar origin have substantially greater chances of reaching service class position s than children of unskilled working class origin. We also found origi n effects on income. In a model evaluating level, type of education an d work experience, the advantage to income of having a white-collar or igin is about 3-8 per cent. While origin effects on class position app ear at the onset of work life, origin effects on income tend to be mor e evident throughout people's careers. Hypotheses about four mechanism s behind origin effects Networks, Favouritism, Productivity, and Aspir ations - are discussed on the basis of the results. (C) Scandinavian S ociological Association 1998.