Social origin and educational participation. Empirical analyses of educational inequality by social origin from 1950 to 1989

Citation
B. Schimpl-neimanns, Social origin and educational participation. Empirical analyses of educational inequality by social origin from 1950 to 1989, KOLNER Z SO, 52(4), 2000, pp. 636
Citations number
91
Language
TEDESCO
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Psycology
Journal title
KOLNER ZEITSCHRIFT FUR SOZIOLOGIE UND SOZIALPSYCHOLOGIE
ISSN journal
0023-2653 → ACNP
Volume
52
Issue
4
Year of publication
2000
Database
ISI
SICI code
0023-2653(200012)52:4<636:SOAEPE>2.0.ZU;2-D
Abstract
Researchers on educational inequality dispute whether the development of th e educational system and the different educational reforms that have taken place in Germany since the 1960s have led to a reduction of the effects of social background on educational participation. The empirical analyses of t his question requires the use of large samples of official microdata on par ticipation of education for 14 to 18-year-old students. Further, this paper deals with the so far hardly considered question whether the sequential lo git model that was suggested for the analysis of educational inequality in the US can also be used for the analysis of the educational inequality in t he German tripartite educational system. The empirical results show that ed ucational participation is still closely connected to social background. In addition, statistically significant changes took place between 1950 and 19 89 that led to a reduction of inequality. This particularly applies to the odds of attending a middle or upper secondary school in place of a lower se condary school. This dismantling of inequality is closely connected with th e declining effects of the occupational position of the head of the family. However, regarding the odds of attending upper versus middle secondary sch ool, inequality by and large remains unchanged.