title: Declining inequality? The changing impact of socio-economic background and ability on education in Australia.
abstract: The paper addresses several debates surrounding the reproduction of socio-economic inequality: (i) the persistent inequality thesis, which maintains that despite the increases in educational participation socio-economic inequalities in education have not declined; (ii) the related thesis of maximally maintained inequality, which proposes that socio-economic inequalities decline only when participation levels for the most privileged socio-economic group approach saturation levels; (iii) the meritocracy debate on the importance of ability vis-à-vis socio-economic background and changes in its influence over time; and (iv) the effect of policy changes on socio-economic inequalities in education. These issues are addressed using data from six Australian youth cohorts born between 1961 and the mid-1980s.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Institute for Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D004493:Education / Q000639:trends*; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011640:Public Policy; D012923:Social Class; D012935:Social Justice; D012961:Sociology