This study examines how the obsession with education affects the total fertility rate in South Korea. Among many factors, educational expenses weigh heavy when it comes to deciding to have another...Show moreThis study examines how the obsession with education affects the total fertility rate in South Korea. Among many factors, educational expenses weigh heavy when it comes to deciding to have another child. This study shows how education has been a means of social mobility throughout Korea’s history, how traces of this are still visible in contemporary South Korea, and how educational developments during the last century have caused private educational expenses to rise significantly. The results show that the societal preoccupation with status and education brings about excessive educational expenditures, causing parents to hold off on having a child or to give up on having another child completely, and thus lowering the total fertility rate.Show less
Italy has a persistent and significant regional divide between the northern and southern regions. This paper examines this puzzling phenomenon by examining differences in intergenerational mobility...Show moreItaly has a persistent and significant regional divide between the northern and southern regions. This paper examines this puzzling phenomenon by examining differences in intergenerational mobility in education between the regions, and the role of credit constraints in the intergenerational transmission of education between parents and their children. This paper adopts a novel approach to the regional divide by examining educational opportunities between the regions, specifically it answers the question: what is the relationship between intergenerational mobility in education and credit constraints faced by families in the regions of Italy? The results contribute to the literature on the Italian regional disparity by finding that the persistence of educational attainment between generations is large in Italy, especially in the Southern region. Children from families that face credit constraints have a higher intergenerational persistence in educational attainment, with the effect being relatively larger in the North, although families facing credit constraints are more prevalent in the South. These results indicate that there is a stark inequality of (educational) opportunity present in Italy that disadvantages the South of Italy more than the North and is especially detrimental to children growing up in credit constrained families.Show less
This thesis explores the life of Nicolaes Sohier (1588-1642), a very wealthy merchant in Amsterdam during the 17th century who was also interested in art, music and architecture. The main question...Show moreThis thesis explores the life of Nicolaes Sohier (1588-1642), a very wealthy merchant in Amsterdam during the 17th century who was also interested in art, music and architecture. The main question of this thesis is: did Nicolaes Sohier use his cultural interests and cultural networks in order to climb the social ladder in Amsterdam during the first half of the 17th century? Therefore, not only his cultural interests are an important aspect of this research, but also his networks.Show less
The purpose of this research is to examine what distinguishes Japanese women who have attained managerial positions from those who haven't, with a specific focus on social capital. The main...Show moreThe purpose of this research is to examine what distinguishes Japanese women who have attained managerial positions from those who haven't, with a specific focus on social capital. The main question is “How did Japanese women in managerial positions negotiate their surroundings and utilized their social capital for their career advancement?”, which we have attempted to answer through the conduct of through life-history research. We found that all informants were supported by their parents in various life choices, such as education and job perspectives. This equipped them not only with the cultural capital needed to find employment, but we also suggest this has influenced their attitude towards work and may have provided them with certain non-cognitive skills that helped them in their career advancement. Moreover, the roles of social networks became particularly explicit in the context of negotiating childcare with the full-time job responsibilities. It was however not a matter of expanding the network, but strengthening the already existing ties that was essential for these women. Finally, we saw that the composition of the family also played a significant role in the women's career advancement: in particular the husband's occupation and help from the parents enabled working mothers to combine their careers with childrearing activities.Show less
