Inequality of Educational Opportunity in East and West Germany: Convergence or Continued Differences?

• Main Authors: Markus Klein, Katherin Barg, Michael Kühhirt
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Society for Sociological Science 2019-01-01
• Series: Sociological Science
• Subjects: Educational Inequality; Education Policy; Comparative Research; Educational Reforms; Education Systems; German Reunification
• Online Access: https://www.sociologicalscience.com/articles-v6-1-1/

Diversity in education systems, and broader political and economic conditions, are commonly credited with international variation in inequality of educational opportunity (IEO). Comparing East and West Germany before reunification allows us to investigate whether vastly different political, economic, and educational systems led to differences in IEO. Postreunification, East Germany adopted the West’s systems and experienced an economic recession. IEO had been smaller in East Germany than in West Germany but was on an upward trajectory before reunification. After 1990, IEO in East Germany converged to the West German level as a result of decreased IEO in the west and increasing levels in the east. Postreunification convergence suggests that differences in political context and education policy are crucial for IEO.