Family Background and Returns to Schooling in Spain

In the present paper, we examine the relationship between returns to education and family background. The analysis uses samples of male and female workers drawn from the Spanish Survey on Class Structure. The results for males show a positive relationship between parents' education (or occupation) and returns to schooling. The evidence for females is more complicated. Least-squares estimates suggest a negative relationship, while two-step Heckman's estimates (correcting for sample selection) generate results closer to those obtained for males.