America’s Nepotism Problem: What fields do fathers pass on the most advantage to their sons?
from Seth Stephens-Davidowitz; slow reveal by Jenna Laib
(Slide Deck includes notes and questions to elicit discourse)
Type of Graph: bar graph
Visualization Source: Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth. “Who Makes the NBA?: Data-Driven Answers to Basketball’s Biggest Questions.” Independently Published: 2023.
Data Source: Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth. “Just How Nepotistic Are We?” New York Times: March 31, 2015.
Potential Math Content: bar graph, logarithmic scale, ratios, making estimates, large numbers, developing theories about why, data collection methodology, bias
Potential Content Connections: economics, gender, wealth
Sustainable Development Goal:
#10 – Reduced inequalities
Paired Texts:
- Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth (2015). “Just How Nepotistic Are We?” New York Times: March 31, 2015.
- Sanders, Lindsay and Taylor Orth (2023). “How common do Americans think nepotism is in 10 fields of work?” YouGov: February 22, 2023.
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I would love to see this data for education, medical field, engineering, arts, unemployed, etc. since most of my students can more easily relate to those fields.
Yes! I’d love to see that data! I think that it would need to be collected using a random sample. Because these professions are more prestigious, and thus there’s a smaller ‘n’ to account for. It’s also a lower barrier to entry: there are more doctors than there are NBA players.
But it would be interesting data, for sure! Also the world seems less concerned about math education nepo babies (like me!), as we by and large don’t wield large amounts of power. That’s less true for US presidents.