Premium
Declining inequality? The changing impact of socio‐economic background and ability on education in Australia
Author(s) -
Marks Gary N.,
McMillan Julie
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the british journal of sociology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.826
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1468-4446
pISSN - 0007-1315
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2003.00453.x
Subject(s) - inequality , meritocracy , demographic economics , economic inequality , reproduction , social inequality , development economics , economics , economic growth , sociology , biology , ecology , market economy , mathematical analysis , mathematics
The paper addresses several debates surrounding the reproduction of socio‐economic inequality: (i) the persistent inequality thesis, which maintains that despite the increases in educational participation socio‐economic inequalities in education have not declined; (ii) the related thesis of maximally maintained inequality, which proposes that socio‐economic inequalities decline only when participation levels for the most privileged socio‐economic group approach saturation levels; (iii) the meritocracy debate on the importance of ability vis‐á‐vis socio‐economic background and changes in its influence over time; and (iv) the effect of policy changes on socio‐economic inequalities in education. These issues are addressed using data from six Australian youth cohorts born between 1961 and the mid‐1980s.