30 Sep 2024 Understanding social determinism in France through school
As explained in our study “Inequalities from the earliest years”, from the earliest years of a child’s life, their knowledge base varies according to social background. From then on, the inequalities built up in early childhood become more pronounced, crystallizing in secondary school. This illustrates and helps understanding the mechanisms of social determinism in France through a concrete example.
The weight of social origin is felt from early childhood……
By the age of 2, children from privileged backgrounds have mastered a richer vocabulary than children from disadvantaged backgrounds. For example, by the age of 3, a child from an advantaged family has mastered an average of 600 words, compared with 300 words for a child from a disadvantaged family.
… then persists in kindergarten and elementary school.
At the end of kindergarten, children from privileged backgrounds score higher in French and math than children from disadvantaged families. This can be explained by the family’s cultural capital, level of education, number of books available in the home, etc.
In elementary school, students from privileged social backgrounds do better than children from disadvantaged backgrounds in all subjects.
- 58% of the lowest-performing pupils from very disadvantaged backgrounds at the start of CP did not progress in math and French by CM2.
The gap then widens in middle school ……
The latter benefits advantaged pupils more than disadvantaged ones, as shown by repetition rates:
- A higher proportion of pupils from modest social backgrounds repeating a year at every level: 7% vs. 1.8% in well-off backgrounds in 6th grade.
- A higher drop-out rate for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds: 7.4% vs. 4.1% in affluent backgrounds in 3ème.
In addition, other strong markers reinforce the impact of social origin:
- « Avoidance » of certain schools, with inter-school segregation.
- Choice of options (27.2% of children from very privileged backgrounds take Latin, compared with 11.1% from disadvantaged backgrounds).
… Before the final decision is made on the orientation of high school students
The choice of vocational streams is strongly influenced by social class. Barely 10% of the children of executives are directed towards these streams, compared with over 50% of the children of unskilled workers. This orientation is also the mark of families’ self-censorship. For similar grades, only 30% of blue-collar children will opt for a general second, compared with 66% of executives’ children.
As a result, children from disadvantaged families are far more likely to opt for the vocational route.
- For example, 46% of the children of executives obtain a BAC S (Scientific Baccalauréat), and conversely, around half of the children of blue-collar workers obtain a BAC pro.
We also note the low proportion of young people who finish their studies in the general stream: barely 16% when they come from modest backgrounds (vs. 57.7% from advantaged backgrounds).
In short, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are at an educational disadvantage from birth. Gaps in language skills are noticeable, and quickly transform into academic delays, and then into self-censorship in terms of orientation. As a result, it’s harder for children from disadvantaged families to enter certain fields and professions.
One hereby understands the vicious circle of social determinism. Since not everyone starts from the same starting line, they can’t expect the same results.
Sources:
- Break Poverty Foundation, Les inégalités dès le plus jeune âge : comprendre et agir, 2022.
- Grobon S., Panico L. et Solaz A. (2019) : « Inégalités socioéconomiques dans le développement langagier et moteur des enfants à 2 ans », Bulletin épidémiologique hebdomadaire, n°1, Santé publique France, p. 4.
Photo Credits: Guillaume Duris, Adobe Stock