Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

In their classic study of stratification in the US, Blau and Duncan (1967) found that the effect of education on occupational attainment increased over time. They interpreted this to mean that America was becoming increasingly meritocratic. A meritocratic social system is one in which the attainment of desirable social rewards, such as good jobs, is determined by effort and ability rather than by inherited privilege. It is often assumed that the attainment of educational credentials requires both effort and ability and that education represents merit. However, educational attainment is also determined by social origin. An equally valid interpretation of Blau and Duncan's finding is that the intergenerational transmission of social privilege is increasingly mediated by education. The extent to which this is so is determined by the relative magnitude of two factors: the effects of social origin on educational attainment and the effect of education on occupational and economic attainments. Searching for a social system that is both meritocratic and egalitarian, researchers try to understand why there is a strong association between social origin and educational attainment and how to weaken it. This entry reviews the main determinants of educational attainment and of educational inequality between social strata and between men and women. Sociologists attribute educational inequalities ... log in or subscribe to read full text