Intergenerational Mobility and Health in the United States

We examine (1) the effects of intergenerational occupational mobility on later-life physical and mental health and (2) how these effects vary by gender and race. While the effects of socioeconomic status on health are extensively investigated, we know much less about how individuals’ experience of mobility shapes long-term health outcomes.
We consider 2021 HSB participants’ self-reports of whether they have ever been diagnosed with hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and mental health conditions. Intergenerational occupational mobility is measured based on (1) parental occupations reported in 1980 and (2) HSB respondents’ occupations reported in 2014/2015. For the analyses, Luo’s Mobility Contrast Model (MCM) is used.