The Best Laid Plans: Social Capital in the Development of Girls ’ Educational and Occupational Plans

This study examines social class and race differences in young women’s social capital for the development of educational and occupational plans. Using in-depth interviews with 59 middle- and working-class black and white high school girls, findings show that inequality in adolescent social capital occurs by social class and, within class, by race, in access to high-status adult ties, and in the successful mobilization of those ties to procure resources. In turn, inequality in social capital contributes to disparities in young women’s future plans. This study advances prior work by elucidating differences in social capital at a critical period of the life course; by considering the full range of adults upon which young people may rely in the transition to adulthood; and by showing how these processes contribute to class and race disparities in adolescent future plans. Three forms of adolescent social capital, which vary by social class and race, are identified: sponsored social capital, insulated social capital, and restricted social capital