The Reproduction of Exclusion and Disadvantage: Symbolic Violence and Social Class Inequalities in ‘Parental Choice’ of Secondary Education

Following the enhancement of parental choice through the 1988 Education Act, anincreasing body of educational literature, aside from describing parent wantsand the implications for internal organisation and external marketing, includescriticism of it as yet another way of privileging the middle class over theworking class (eg. Halstead, 1994). This paper argues that parental choice is asocial field where social relations are reproduced, reinforced and mediated. Assuch, it is an important area for sociological study which, to date, has beenneglected. Drawing on some preliminary analysis of a research study, this papercritically examines the merits of using the work of Pierre Bourdieu tofacilitate a sociological analysis of parental choice. The paper concludes thatparental choice is a new aspect of social reproduction that clearly demonstratesBourdieu's explanation of the interrelation between ‘habitus’ and social‘field’.