Parental unemployment and children’s school outcomes: A double disadvantage for the Swedish second-generation?

A longstanding body of research examined causes and consequences of disparities in unemployment dynamics between migrants and non-migrants. This study takes an intergenerational perspective by exploring whether parental unemployment contributes to educational inequalities between native-born and second-generation immigrant students. While numerous studies have emphasized the role of family resources, such as parental education, income, and socioeconomic status, in shaping children’s educational outcomes, relatively few have specifically focused specifically on parental unemployment. Virtually no studies have investigated its role in shaping educational gaps between natives and second-generation immigrants. Using comprehensive Swedish population register data, we link educational outcomes (grades and track placement) of all students enrolled in grade 9 (approximately age 16) between 2010 and 2016 to detailed parental characteristics, including education, origin and employment trajectories. We distinguish ten origin groups based on both theoretical relevance and demographic significance within the Swedish context. Our findings show that parental unemployment is associated with lower academic achievement and educational attainment. Although second-generation immigrants are more exposed to parental unemployment, they do not appear to suffer more severe educational consequences as a result. This challenges the ‘double disadvantage hypothesis’, which posits that children of immigrants experience both higher exposure to risk factors and greater vulnerability to their effects.