Climbing the social ladder is strongly influenced by your grandparents’ class

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. The position of grandparents in the British class system has a direct effect on which class their grandchildren belong to, according to a new study by Durham and Oxford universities. It has long been accepted that parents' social standing has a strong influence on children's education, job prospects and earning power. However, this study shows for the first time that even when the influence of parents has been taken into account, the odds of grandchildren going into professional or managerial occupations rather than unskilled manual occupations are at least two and a half times better if their grandparents were themselves in professional-managerial positions rather than unskilled manual occupations. This latest research, published in the American Sociological Review, finds that the social advantages and disadvantages that are transmitted across generations are a lot more durable and persistent than previously thought.