Why is there a correlation between the more education a person's mother had the more liberal they were?

Question

Students were just doing some data mining today at the institution I work at. Using the self reported student data from incoming freshman according to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey we found a very close correlation between liberalness and mother's education, whereas there was no correlation between level of father's education and liberalness.

Why do you think that is?

(I can't link the numbers, but if you want to see for yourself, email me and I'll send you the info).

Answer 1

Pure coincidence.

Answer 2

I hold a master's degree and of my three adult children, two are very conservative and one is moderate. Perhaps, more mothers are liberal in views than I am and influencing their kids.

Answer 3

I'm a conservative, and both of my parents had advanced degrees.

Answer 4

Perhaps because colleges & institutions of higher learning tend to be by the most part liberal?