Chapter 24: Pre- and perinatal influences on intergenerational transmission of inequality

Abstract

Many researchers argue that children in poorer households are at a higher risk of adverse conditions in-utero and shortly after birth, which in turn could affect their later-life outcomes negatively. In this article, we present a summary of recent articles that have contributed to a better understanding of the relevance of prenatal and perinatal outcomes on the process of intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic status. The focus of the summary is on articles conducting empirical analysis. We also discuss whether results could be causally interpreted and cover articles studying a wide range of countries with different institutional arrangements.