One of the greatest challenges facing educators and policymakers lies in addressing educational inequalities tied to social background. Despite progress in reducing disparities in the post-War decades, the landscape remains highly uneven, with access, opportunities, and outcomes heavily influenced by one’s social background, writes Moris Triventi. What should be done?
The historical trajectory of educational inequality across European countries presents something of a paradox. On the one hand, a study on eight European countries shows that there has been a commendable reduction in social disparities in educational attainment. The global push for “education for all” has led to increased enrollment and access to primary and secondary education, breaking down some of the traditional barriers faced by children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Beneath the surface, however, lies a more nuanced – and concerning – picture, for two reasons. First, the reduction of social inequalities in educational opportunities mostly occurred in the post-war decades, with the trend towards equalisation weakening in more recent cohorts. The second is that trying to discern the current state of educational inequalities can be like looking through a constantly shifting kaleidoscope. As lower educational levels witness a levelling playing field, attention pivots towards higher echelons – higher education, graduate degrees, and the specific learning environments that mould future occupational success. Attaining basic education, while a crucial milestone, is not the end of the journey, then, but rather marks the beginning of a new chapter where disparities can take on subtler, yet equally impactful forms.
Charting the educational inequalities in Europe
While all families strive to secure the best possible opportunities for their children, a crucial realisation often emerges: that access to better schools, extracurricular activities, and a supportive learning environment are often privileges afforded to select socio-economic groups. A number of studies find that families with higher socio-economic and cultural resources are more able to secure a place in the more selective tracks and upper secondary schools, private schools, prestigious fields of study, and highly-ranked higher education institutions. In a less visible way, some research has also found that families from higher social classes tend to enrol their children in courses associated with higher prestige (eg, Latin courses and classical subjects), or take advantage of additional tutoring to boost their children’s academic performance. This creates a reinforcing cycle where the already-privileged are better positioned to navigate the educational landscape, perpetuating inequality.
There is a reinforcing cycle – the already-privileged are better positioned to navigate the educational landscape, thus perpetuating inequality
Geographical disparities add further complexity to the picture. In Southern and Eastern EU countries, educational inequalities loom larger, casting shadows over the pursuit of knowledge. Economic, cultural, and historical factors intertwine to create a highly unequal landscape of opportunities and outcomes. In stark contrast, Nordic EU countries have charted a course towards narrower educational gaps, thus exemplifying a more equitable approach.
For instance, in a recent review paper, I show that for cohorts born between 1960 and 1980, the average difference in the probability of attaining a higher education degree between individuals with tertiary-educated and lower secondary-educated parents was around 50 percentage points in Hungary and Italy, compared to around 35 percentage points in the United Kingdom and just over 30 percentage points in Norway. Social policies, economic structures, and a commitment to social welfare all contribute to a less uneven playing field in Northern Europe, showcasing the power of policy interventions.
Somewhat disconcertingly, research also shows that many countries witness a stratification of access to educational opportunities based on students’ social backgrounds even when their academic performance is similar. Especially in Continental and Southern countries, more than half of the socio-economic gaps in access to higher education are not explained by differences in the students’ prior academic performance. Information gaps, attitudes towards uncertain educational investments, occupational aspirations, and a sense of belonging to the school-in-question may thus explain some of these inequalities, which are particular marked among low-achieving students.
The central policy dilemma in the education sector
Policymakers stand at a crossroads, then. They are faced with the delicate balance of empowering families in educational decisions while mitigating the widening chasm of inequality.
Giving families the freedom to make educational choices for their children is appealing – it aligns with ideals of autonomy and personalisation in education, concepts that resonate with the principles of individual agency. In theory, granting freedom of choice might also be expected to enhance satisfaction and outcomes.
The empirical reality, however, is far more nuanced. Sociologists suggest that expanding choice does not always lead to better performance in the educational realm – and crucially, it often translates into increased inequalities unless serious interventions are carried out to redistribute resources across families. Substantive and wide-ranging interventions thus become the linchpin in the quest for a satisfactory equilibrium. Redistributing resources (and not only economic resources) across families emerges as a necessary counterforce against the gravitational pull towards an ever-more unequal distributions of opportunities and outcomes that is inherent in a set-up with widened family choice.
This requires a reimagining of educational policies and resource allocation mechanisms. While the interventions need to be tailored to the situation and needs of each country, in general, measures such as targeted financial aid for low-income families, investment in high-quality early childhood education and care, launching campaigns to support children’s early math skills, postponing school tracking, and providing an equitable distribution of resources among schools based on student needs may be policies which policymakers should give serious consideration to. More than anything, it demands a commitment to creating an environment where every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education and the tools needed to thrive.
We need a create an environment where every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education and the tools needed to thrive
As we traverse the landscape of educational inequality in comparative perspective, then, it is crucial that we understand the multifaceted nature of this challenge. It is imperative that we craft policies that not only empower individuals but uplift entire societies, sharing the responsibility for this journey towards educational equity across all who aspire towards a fairer, brighter future. It is a call to action for policymakers, educators, and societies at large to collaborate in dismantling the barriers that hinder the realisation of true educational fairness.
All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s). They do not represent the position of LSE Inequalities, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
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