Only 4.7% of children of unschooled parents finish High School

The level of education of the parents says a lot about the chances of a citizen’s social ascension in Brazil. In a group of 100 people with family members without any schooling, 70 attain at most Elementary and Junior High School completion, and only between 4 and 5 (or 4.7%) complete higher education. If the parents have a college degree, the children are more likely to follow this path as well.

These data are the study of economist Paulo Tafner, founder and CEO of the recently created Institute for Mobility and Social Development (IMDS). For him, the lack of social mobility in Brazil is a factor in perpetuating poverty, even after years of economic growth and income transfer programs. Basically, it is the difficulty that a child from a poor family faces to climb the social pyramid and have access to better salaries.