Sophie Hahn analyses downward mobility in educational attainment from a
sociological life-course perspective. In order to avoid status loss
children of higher-educated parents have to persevere through long
educational careers. How large is their risk of intergenerational
downward mobility in educational attainment and how does it shape their
educational pathways? Does their parents' education still play a role in
decisions at late stages of the educational career such as dropping out
of and re-entering higher education? Drawing on retrospective
longitudinal data of the German National Education Panel Study (NEPS)
this book addresses these questions.