An intriguing article from The Atlantic:
“Once financial
concerns have been covered by their parents, children have more latitude to
study less pragmatic things in school. Kim Weeden, a sociologist at Cornell,
looked at National Center for Education Statistics data for me after I asked
her about this phenomenon, and her analysis revealed that, yes, the amount of
money a college student’s parents make does correlate with what that person
studies. Kids from lower-income families tend toward “useful” majors, such as
computer science, math, and physics. Those whose parents make more money flock
to history, English, and performing arts.”