Educational Inequality in South Africa: The Relationship Between Educational Attainment and Girls' Socioeconomic Mobility

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research in Progress Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Opportunities of Girls: Transnational Perspectives on Identity, Policy, Mobility, and Safe Spaces (Table 4)

Abstract

The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and educational attainment is well-established: poverty reduces the likelihood of school completion, yet doing so is critical for escaping poverty. Given South Africa's legacy of apartheid and the high levels of inequality that have persisted post-1994, socioeconomic factors are inseparable from individual and school-level variables. Yet few have addressed the role of educational attainment on propelling its people through social and economic groups, particularly given the varied experience of girl learners. Even though recent advances in girls' education are well-documented, girls of lower SES remain at greater risk for poor school outcomes. Bronfonbrenner's Ecological Systems theory provides a lens through which to analyze the impact of poverty on school outcomes and the mechanisms through which it threatens socioeconomic mobility, particularly for girls. Data from a South African birth cohort study, Birth to Thirty, will be used to investigate the relationship between school completion and changes in SES. By establishing associations between individuals' socioeconomic domains and educational attainment--and identifying both risk and protective factors--it is hoped that findings will contribute to mobilizing education in South Africa and advocating for policy changes that prioritize education for low-income students.

Author

• Tayla Stephen, University of Missouri
  Presenting Author