Intergenerational Trajectories: Parental Initial Legal Status, Economic Assimilation, and Children's Educational Outcomes (2024)
Undergraduate: Anna Dou
Faculty Advisor: Jessica Su
Department: Sociologgy
Understanding the impact of immigrants' initial legal statuses on socioeconomic assimilation is crucial amid rising inequality. This study explores the intergenerational effects of parents' legal status on themselves and their children, focusing on economic assimilation and educational outcomes. Using the New Immigrant Survey, it analyzes the experiences of immigrant parents and their school-age children five years after obtaining legal permanent resident status. Findings show immediate effects on parents' economic well-being and intergenerational impacts on children's educational outcomes. Employment-based households enjoy advantages in income, home ownership, and assets. Children of such parents demonstrate sustained benefits in developmental tests. Conversely, those from undocumented households face disadvantages in educational aspirations and tests, while refugee or family-based households see specific disadvantages in certain tests. The relationship between children's tests and parents' legal status is partially mediated by economic assimilation, with income and home ownership playing a role. However, school aspirations do not significantly differ across groups. These results shed light on the intergenerational nature of legal status, where economic and assimilation experiences are transmitted not only through income but also through assets and social capital. Future research should explore these relationships further with larger, nationally representative populations.