Unequal at the Starting Line: Creating Participatory Inequalities across Generations and among Groups

• Published in: The American sociologist Vol. 34; no. 1/2; pp. 45 - 69
• Main Authors: Verba, Sidney, Burns, Nancy, Schlozman, Kay Lehman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Secaucus, NJ Transaction Periodicals Consortium 01.04.2003; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult education; African American education; African Americans; Class; Coefficients; Educational attainment; Ethnicity; Gender; Gender differences; Generational Differences; Generations; Hispanics; Inequality; Men; Parental education; Parents; Participation; Political behavior; Political behaviour; Political Participation; Political Socialization; Political sociology; Racial Differences; Social Background; Social Inequality; Sociology; United States of America; White people; United States Of America; Family environment; Educational Attainment; Social origin; Political Participation; Generation; Inequality
• ISSN: 0003-1232; 1936-4784
• DOI: 10.1007/s12108-003-1005-y

We investigate how inequalities in political participation are shaped across generations by considering the influence of family background—in particular, parents' education and political involvement—on political participation. We pursue this issue, first, for individuals, investigating the effects of parental characteristics on the participatory profile of their offspring. Then, we use what we have learned to understand how group differences in political participation—between women and men and among Latinos, African Americans, and Anglo Whites—are rooted in the legacy of class and political background and in experiences throughout the life cycle.