Stratified Ambitions: Family Social Origin and Unequal Early Career Outcomes among Russian Graduates

Journal of Youth Studies. 2026. P. 1–20.

Nikitin M., Maltseva V.

This article examines how family social origin shapes early career outcomes among university graduates in Russia, focusing on differences in job task content rather than conventional indicators such as wages or occupational status. The study combines longitudinal panel data from the Trajectories in Education and Careers project with biographical interviews to analyse both structural patterns and the mechanisms underlying them. The quantitative findings show that graduates from highly educated families are significantly more likely to enter non-routine jobs characterised by greater cognitive complexity, autonomy, and opportunities for professional development. The qualitative analysis demonstrates that these patterns are reinforced through classed differences in career decision-making under conditions of uncertainty. Graduates from more advantaged backgrounds draw on parental guidance and cultural resources to pursue long-term, risk-tolerant strategies, whereas those from less privileged families tend to prioritise stability and immediate employment. By focusing on job task content as an indicator of job quality, the article shows how social inequality is reconfigured within the graduate population. It contributes to research on youth transitions and social reproduction by demonstrating that family background continues to shape the qualitative nature of work performed at the start of professional careers.

Keywords: социальная мобильность, social mobility, образовательные переходы, social origin, job-task content, youth transitions, graduate employment, labour market inequality