A study examines the relationship between inequality in family income and college attainment in the United States. Rising income inequality is thought to increase the advantages of children from affluent families when applying to and completing college. However, the extent of this phenomenon is unclear. Michelle Jackson and Brian Holzman examined 13 survey and tax datasets covering individuals born between 1908 and 1995. Toward the beginning of the 20th century, the odds of completing college were seven times higher for rich individuals than for poor individuals. Collegiate inequalities were even higher for individuals born in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, even though income inequality was low. These individuals were at risk of serving in the Vietnam War, and during this period, inequality in both college enrollment and completion was higher for men than for women. Following the Vietnam War, collegiate inequalities were at the lowest level observed during the 20th century, but they increased again during a rapid increase in income inequality. The peak in income inequality in the late 1980s coincided with peak inequalities in both college enrollment and completion. Overall, the findings highlight a significant relationship between income inequality and inequality in college enrollment and completion, according to the authors.
Article #19-07258: "A century of educational inequality in the United States," by Michelle Jackson and Brian Holzman.
MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Jackson, Stanford University, CA; tel: 650-704-2108; e-mail: mvjsoc@stanford.edu
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences