Is career what you make it? A critical review of research on social origin and career success

What is it about?

In a business environment characterized by labor shortages, the under-utilization of existing potential is a problem for both companies and governments. Nevertheless, the development of people from disadvantaged social origin is limited. Research on the intergenerational transmission of social disadvantage consistently shows that access to higher education is still highly stratified. Less is known about whether origin-based inequalities persist or can be offset within the occupational context. Based on a systematic review of 59 studies, we identify the career success (CS) indicators that have been examined in this growing research literature, describe the various forms that the social origin–CS relationship can assume, and identify explanatory mechanisms for the discrepancies in the career trajectories of individuals from different social backgrounds. Based on a critical analysis of existing studies, we show that many areas of the above research themes remain underexplored, despite recent significant advancements, and provide directions for future research. This includes recommendations for the choice of indicators for measuring CS, including the determination of reference persons in future studies and for closing research gaps in previous research designs regarding the connection between social origin and CS. Moreover, we provide suggestions for taking into account further essential factors on an individual, organizational, and contextual level to explain the social origin−CS relationship.

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