Gender Differences in Educational Attainment:Impacts of Family Background on Educational Attainment of Men and Women

Based on a national sample survey data of 2001,this article examines the gender differences of educational attainment between men and women with the use of the OLS regression model.This examination focuses on the impact of family background,including parents' education,father's occupation,hukou status and family income,on the level of education attained between men and women.The result is that family background has larger impact on educational attainment of women than on that of men.Thus,women are more likely to suffer from a disadvantaged family background in their educational attainment,especially women from farm families that have much less educational opportunities than other groups.