Social Inequalities in Educational Attainment Between 1970 and 1990: The Impact of Family Income, Parents’ Education, Class, and Social Status on Children’s Educational Attainment

• In Event: Educational Inequality Across Countries and Over Time

Abstract

This study examines social inequalities in educational attainment, focusing in particular on the attainment of university entry qualifications (A-level) among 2 UK age cohorts born between 1970 and 1990. A long history of studies has confirmed that social origins are important determinants of educational attainment. However, there is still controversy regarding trends over time of the association between origins and educational attainment, that is, in educational inequalities. The UK seems to have followed an equalizing trend in educational attainment in the first half of the 20th century, while throughout the second half, when radical changes in educational policy occurred, it is not clear whether educational inequality was persistent or increased. This article makes the case that such a controversy derives partly from differences in the conceptualization and measurement of social origins (Bukodi & Goldthorpe, 2012). Social origins have been assessed in a variety of ways, comprising indicators of social, economic and educational resources. Each of these indicators can however have a different and independent effect on educational attainment and inequality in attainment, and decomposing social origin into a number of distinct and clearly defined effects promises to be an important step towards improving our understanding of persistent and changing inequalities (Bukodi & Goldthorpe, 2012; Duckworth & Schoon, 2012).

In this article we build upon Bukodi and Goldthorpe (2012) and assess the relative and combined association between different indicators of social origins and educational attainment in two birth cohorts. We also address the possibility that different aspects of family origins might have undergone distinct patterns of change over time. First, we include a broad selection of factors in conceptualizing social origins, comprising indicators of social class, parental education, social status, and family income. Compared to Bukodi and Goldthorpe (2012) we have included a novel indicator - family income. Second, we use 2 cohorts covering the period 1970 to 1990, shedding light on the most recent trends, given available surveys. For the younger 1990 cohort, the most recent information on the attained qualifications dates back to age 20, when they have already attained (or not) A levels (entry university qualifications), but not all of them have decided whether to enter university. For this reason we focus on A levels as the final educational outcome. This article contributes to the debate over trends in educational inequality by answering the following questions: Do parents’ class, education, social status, and family income show an independent effect on children’s educational attainment? Does the effect of each of the social origins’ factor remain stable or change over the cohorts 1970-1990? Do the four factors show similar or different trends?

References

Bukodi, E. & J. H. Goldthorpe. (2012). Decomposing social origins: The effects of parents’ class, status, and education on the educational attainment of their children. European Sociological Review, 0(0):1-16.

Duckworth, K. & I. Schoon. (2012). Beating the odds: Exploring the impact of social risk on young people’s school-to-work transitions during recession in the UK. National Institute Economic Review 222 (1), R38-R51.

Authors

• Nicola Pensiero, Institute of Education - University of London

• Ingrid Schoon, Institute of Education - University of London