Leadership for Whom? Socioeconomic Factors Predicting Undergraduate Students’ Positional Leadership Participation Open Access

This study examined the associations between undergraduate students’ socioeconomic background (i.e., first-generation status and household income) and their participation as positional leaders at six large, public research universities. Results from logistic regressions predicting positional leadership in student organizations suggested that first-generation students and students from low-income backgrounds were significantly less likely to participate in positional leadership positions controlling for demographic, environmental, and leadership interest variables.