30 Aug 2024 Reducing social inequalities at school : a taste of unfinished business
When we think of young people today, we often think of them as students. This is due to the massive opening up of higher education, which has led to a significant increase in the school enrolment rate.
In particular, the opening up of vocational and technological pathways has contributed to this development, enabling many young people to gain access to education and acquire specific qualifications.
However, although inequalities tended to decrease over the last century, they have been on the rise again since the 1980s, independently of the increase in the number of graduates.
So why hasn’t opening up higher education to as many people as possible helped (or no longer helps) to reduce social inequalities ?
A different orientation according to social origin
While the baccalauréat has become much more democratic, access to higher education is slightly less so. Indeed, the children of blue-collar workers account for 12% of all students, while blue-collar workers represent 21% of the working population. On the other hand, the children of senior executives account for 34% of all students, while their parents make up only 18% of the working population. Yet social inequalities persist to a large extent through the powerful divide between higher education graduates and non-graduates. Graduates may face difficulties when it comes to entering the job market, but those who don’t are destined for a difficult trajectory, with a succession of precarious jobs.
In a study published in 2006, Dutch researchers Van de Werfhorst and Luijkx empirically validate the hypothesis that social differences persist, and are even reinforced, in the choice of fields of study. So, even if children from disadvantaged backgrounds have easier access to state schools, their trajectories are strongly influenced by the social determinism of which they are victims: many of them are therefore more or less naturally oriented towards vocational tracks (and CAPs).
How can we fine-tune guidance for young people and reduce social inequalities at school ?
In France, educational qualifications are the primary determining factor in access to a professional career. As a result, it influences an individual’s socio-professional situation, i.e. their level of income and, in many cases, their social status. We must continue to seek innovative solutions to combat this social determinism.
At Break Poverty, we build these solutions ! We are putting in place innovative, long-term solutions for disadvantaged young people to help eradicate poverty in France in the long term. For example, with the Proxité scheme in Béthune, we are setting up mentoring schemes between company employees and young people in difficulty. The aim is to support young people in their educational and professional integration. Break Poverty is also involved in the fight against self-censorship, through the scheme set up with Brio in Nantes, which enables students from the grandes écoles to provide tutoring for high school students from disadvantaged areas, helping them to achieve their full potential.
This is how we are committed to fighting poverty.
So that poverty is not synonymous with fatality.
Photo credit : Annie Spratt