Have Social Class Inequalities in Higher Education Been Reduced in Contemporary Britain？

【Abstract】Britain has historically been portrayed as a “class-ridden” society， which is clearly shown in higher education. While some scholars argue that inequalities in British higher education have been reduced， others insist on the opposite. Consequently， this essay will examine the arguments of educational inequalities in British higher education and put forward reasons for this phenomenon.

【Key words】British higher education； social class

【作者簡介】王清卓，華東師范大學。

Based on the unbiased admission requirements for students from all classes， higher education has been conventionally supposed to reduce educational inequalities caused by social class divisions. Some scholars argue that UK Higher Education （HE） System has produced more university places for students from various class backgrounds. Compared to the 400，000 students entering higher education in the 1960s， at the turn of the new century the number rose to 2，000，000 （Greenaway and Haynes， 2003）.

However， the expansion of HE does not necessarily mean that educational inequalities have been reduced. The decline in quantitive inequalities actually occurred only after the enrolment rate for the upper class had reached ‘saturation’ point （Boliver， 2011）. In other words， only when the need of the advantaged social group for registration is met can lower class pupils get some opportunities. Statistics from the UK Universities and Colleges Admissions Service （UCAS） show that in 2005， students who were accepted to university from the four lowest socio-economic groups only accounted for only 24.72% （Shepherd， 2007）. Therefore， in spite of the generally rising enrolment rate， inequalities among different social classes remain in British HE. This firstly influences student’s choice of universities. Reay et al. point out that there “exists an apparent polarisation between those universities attracting working-class and those attracting the traditional university constituency （Reay， D. et al.， 2003）”. This phenomenon is partly due to the tuition fees. For lack of financial support from their families， lower class students worry more about the cost of universities than their upper-class counterparts who expect their parents to pay for them.

Various cultural capitals among families show how social class inequalities influence students’ choices related to higher education as well. Cultural capital refers to a person’s knowledge and intellectual skills that provide advantages in achieving a higher social status in society （Bourdieu， 1985）. Consequently， the social class of parents has a significant influence on their children’s HE. Glennerster reports that data on the relation between HE participation and parental social class in UK shows a positive correlation： between 1991 and 1998 the percentage of children from well-off class parents admitted by HE rose from 55% to 72%， while the percentage for children from unskilled parents only increased from 6% to 13%.

To conclude， social class inequalities in British HE have far from been reduced. Despite the generally increasing expansion of higher education， it does not necessarily equal the reduction of educational inequalities because it only occurs after the enrolment need of upper class students is met. Material support and cultural capital provided by different social class families contribute to this unjust pattern. In HE， it is very likely that middle and upper class students may maintain their advantages through the mobilisation of resources from their parents. In contrast， students from lower class remain in a disadvantageous position.

References：

[1]Bathmaker，A.，Ingram，N and Waller，R.（2013）.“Higher education， social class and the mobilisation of capitals：recognising and playing the game”.British Journal of Sociology of Education.Forthcoming （Sept 2013）.

[2]Boliver，V.（2011）.Expansion，differentiation，and the persistence of social class inequalities in British higher education.Higher Education，61（3），229-242.

[3]Bourdieu，Pierre.（1985）.“The Forms of Capital”，Handbook of Theory of Research for the Sociology of Education（1986）pp.46–58.

[4]Connor，H.，Dewson，S.and Tyers，C.（2001）.Social class and higher education：issues affecting decisions on participation by lower social class groups.

[5]Greenaway，D.and Haynes，M.（2003）.Funding higher education in the UK：the role of fees and loans.Economic Journal，113，F150–67.

[6]Reay，D.，Crozier，G.and Clayron J（2003）.“‘Fitting in’or ‘standing out’：working-class students in UK higher education.” British Educational Research Journal Vol.36，No.1，February 2010，pp.107–124.