Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Occupational Classes and Higher-Education Opportunities in Contemporary China: A Study on the Distribution of a Scarce Social Capital

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Education in China

Abstract

Based on the several surveys conducted since the 1990s onward, this paper aims to demonstrate that in terms of the access to higher education, social class differentiation is far starker than that of urban/rural income in contemporary China. According to the investigation that focused on students enrolled in 37 universities, the chance of farmers children to have a higher education is 5.6 times lower than that of nonfarmers. If we compare the chance of government and party officials children with that of farmers children, the ratio will rise to nearly 18:1. More seriously, the recent boom in higher education has not lessened but, in fact, worsened the structural factors of this inequality. The skyrocketing tuition fee constitutes an escalating fence that keeps the children from low-income, marginalized families away from acquiring higher education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shi Yunhua 施云华 and Zhu Ziping 诸子平, “Woguo ’jiaoyu jihui jundeng’ jianshe zouyi” 我国“教育 机会均等”建设刍议 (Suggestion on the equality in education chance in our country). Jiangsu jiaoyu xueyuan xuebao (Sheke ban) 江苏教育学院学报 (社科版) (Journal of Jiangsu Normal College·Social Sciences), 1993, 1

  2. Lu Jie 鲁洁, Jiaoyu shehuixue 教育社会学 (Education Sociology), Beijing: Renmin jiaoyu chuabnshe, 1990

  3. Jiang Xiangzhi 姜相志, “Shehui fencing dui zinv jieshou gaodengjiaoyu jihui de yingxiang” 对子女接受高等教育机会的影响 (The influence of the parents’ social stratification on their kids’ chance for high education), Qingnian yanjiu 青年研究 (Youth research), 1992, 12

  4. Liu Hongyuan 刘宏元, “Nuli wei nianqingren chuangzao pingdeng de shoujiaoyu jihui—Wuhan daxue 1995 ji xinsheng zhuangkuang diaocha” 努力为青年人创造平等的受教育机会—武汉大学1995 级 新生状况调查 (Try hard to make equality for youth in education chance-social survey about the new students in Wuhan University), Qingnian yanjiu 青年研究 (Youth Research), 1996, 4

  5. Zhao Yezhu 赵叶珠, “Jiating beijing dui gaodeng jiaoyu ruxue jihui de yingxiang” 家庭背景对高等教 育入学机会的影响 (The influence of family on children’s chance for high education), Qingnian yanjiu 青年研究 (Youth Research), 2000, 3

  6. Meng Dongfang 孟东方 and Li Zhi 李志, “Xuesheng fuqin zhiye yu gaodeng xuexiao zhuanye xuanze guanxid yanjiu” 学生父亲职业与高等学校专业选择关系的研究 (A research for relationship about father’s profession and children’s major in collage), Qingnian yanjiu 青年研究 (Youth Research), 1996, 11

  7. Yu Xiaobo 余小波, “Dangqian woguo shehui fencing yu gaodeng jiaoyu jihui tansuo—dui mousuo gaoxiao 2000 ji xuesheng de shizheng yanjiu”, 当前我国社会分层与高等教育机会探索—对某所高 校2000级学生的实证研究 (Social stratification and chance for high education—a survey with research with a university’s students who enrolled in 2000), Xiandai daxue jiaoyu 现代大学教育 (Modern university education) 2002, 2

  8. Zhong Yuping 钟宇平 and Lu Genshu 陆根书, “Xifang xuezhe lun gaodeng jiaoyu chengben huishou dui gongping de yingxiang” 西方学者论高等教育成本回收对公平的影响 (Impact of the return of the higher education cost on fairness dealt with by western scholars), Xian jiaotong daxue xuebao (sheke ban) 西安交通大学学报(社科版) (Journal of XiAn jiaotong University Social Sciences), 2001, 3

  9. Zhang Yulin 张玉林, “Fenji banxue zhidu xia de jiaoyu ziyuan fenpei yu chengxiang jiaoyu chaju” 分级 办学制度下的教育资源分配与城乡教育差距 (The allocation of education resources and the Gap in education between urban and rural areas), Zhongguo nongcun guancha 中国农村观察 (China rural survey), 2003, 1

  10. Li Wensheng, “Zhongguo gaodengjiaoyu ruxue jihui de gongpingxing yanjiu” 中国高等教育入学机会 的公平性研究 (China higher education enter school fairness of the chance study), Ph.D. diss., Beijing University, 2002

  11. Xie Weihe 谢维和 and Li Xuelian 李雪莲, Gaodeng jiaoyu gongpingxing de diaocha yu yanjiu baogao 高等教育公平性的调查与研究报告 (Research for equality in high education), Beijing: Renmin jiaoyu chubanshe, 2000

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, PRC

    Yulin Zhang & Baojun Liu

Authors
  1. Yulin Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Baojun Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yulin Zhang.

Additional information

Translated by Chen Xinqin from Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences), 2005, 3

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Yulin, Z., Baojun, L. Social Occupational Classes and Higher-Education Opportunities in Contemporary China: A Study on the Distribution of a Scarce Social Capital. Front. Educ. China 1, 89–99 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-005-0013-9

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11516-005-0013-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation