The influence of socioeconomic and cultural capital on the access to Higher Education Institutions in Chile: 1990-2009

• Main Author: Francisco Javier Cabrera
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Colegio de México 2016-05-01
• Series: Estudios Sociológicos
• Subjects: movilidad social; estratificación educacional; educación superior; desigualdad
• Online Access: http://estudiossociologicos.colmex.mx/index.php/es/article/view/1395

This research characterises social stratification and social mobility in Chile through the probabilities of accessing Higher Education Institutions (HEIS) from 1990 to 2009 conditional on household’s socio-economic and cultural characteristics. The main results show that those with more cultural and financial capital increased more their chances to be enrolled into HEIS in comparison to disadvantaged pupils, suggesting a lower relative social mobility. Specifically, the access to heis is more related to income in 2009 than it was in 1990; whereas parental education is more related to enrolment in “traditional universities”. This suggests that lower classes may face not only financial but also cultural restrictions to enrol into the most rewarded institutions. Consequently, in spite of the expansion in higher education, educational inequalities seem to be “effectively maintained”.