Education and social mobility flashcards

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Meritocracy?

Status achieved by ability + effort, not ascribed characteristics.

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Intergenerational mobility?

Children's class compared to parents' — upward/downward movement.

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Saunders' argument?

Britain increasingly meritocratic — middle class expanded via education.

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Marxist counter?

Middle-class children inherit cultural/economic capital — mobility limited.

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Glass ceiling?

Barriers preventing women/ethnic minorities reaching top positions despite qualifications.

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Absolute vs relative mobility?

Absolute — better jobs overall; relative — changing rank in hierarchy.

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What is 'cultural capital' according to Bourdieu?

The non-financial social assets (e.g., knowledge, skills, language, values) that are valued by the education system and society, giving middle and upper-class individuals an unfair advantage.

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Define 'inter-generational social mobility'.

The movement up or down the social stratification system between one generation and the next (e.g., a child achieving a different social class from their parents).

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What is the functionalist concept of 'role allocation'?

The process by which the education system sifts and sorts individuals based on their talents and abilities, allocating them to the most appropriate jobs for their skills. Associated with Davis and Moore.

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What did Althusser mean by education being an 'Ideological State Apparatus' (ISA)?

An institution, controlled by the state, that transmits the ideology of the ruling class. It persuades the working class to accept their subordinate position as legitimate, thus reproducing inequality.

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What is the 'correspondence principle' (Bowles and Gintis)?

The idea that the structures, norms, and values found in the education system mirror or 'correspond' to those of the capitalist workplace, preparing students for their future role as exploited workers.