European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 3 │ Issue 8 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.826962 HAS THE EXPANSION OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION LED TO A DECREASE IN SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES WITHIN IT? THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AND SOCIAL CAPITAL Iakovos Tsiplakides affiliation Abstract: In recent decades, the move from an elite to a mass higher education system in many countries and the resulting expansion of the higher education sector has not brought about a noteworthy decrease in social inequalities. An important factor that has contributed to the persistence of social inequalities is attributed to the fact that increased access has been accompanied by a differentiated and stratified higher education sector. In this framework, researchers from many countries argue that students from upper and middle class backgrounds, with higher levels of cultural and social capital, are much more likely to attend high status higher education institutions and departments. By contrast, working class students usually choose to attend institutions and departments with a lower status. Class differentials in relation study completion and retention rates also exist, since working class students have lower retention rates than students from upper and middle class backgrounds. Bearing the above issues into consideration, in this paper, we conduct a short bibliographical review of studies examining the reasons for the persisting social inequalities in higher education and the relationship between social class and allocation in the different departments in higher education. We also present critically the most influential explanatory frameworks employed in the analysis and interpretation of the issue. Research findings provide strong evidence social class, and the students’ cultural and social capital play a major role in the persistence of social inequalities. Implications for policy makers are clear. On the basis of the above, we argue that socio-economic inequalities within higher education cannot be dealt with unless we tackle the issue of differentiated allocation in the different higher education departments. Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 250 Iakovos Tsiplakides HAS THE EXPANSION OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION LED TO A DECREASE IN SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES WITHIN IT? THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AND SOCIAL CAPITAL Keywords: higher education, social inequalities, expansion The higher education landscape is undergoing significant change in recent decades due to a number of developments (Reay et al, 2005; Reimer and Jacob, 2011). The most important of these is related to policies aiming at the expansion of the higher education sector. In the last decades educational policies in many countries aim at increasing the number of young people who study in higher education. At the same time, widening participation initiatives for groups of people who were underrepresented or excluded from higher education (such as working class, ethnic minority or mature students) have been introduced. For instance, in the context of European Union higher education policies, the European Union (EU) has as its stated ambition the goal of 40% of all young people having graduated from higher education by 2020 European Commission, : . As a result, the higher education sector has witnessed a significant expansion in many countries, moving from an elite higher education sector to mass participation (Reay et al, 2005; OECD, 2014). More people than ever before enroll in higher education programmes of study (Walker and Zhu, 2008; Sianou-Kyrgiou and Tsiplakides, 2009). The target is that 40% of people aged 30-34 should have a higher education or equivalent qualification by 2020 (Crozier et al, 2014). According to official data, by 2000, the number of higher education has grown to such an extent that it amounts to approximately 20 percent of the cohort worldwide, even if national variations exist (Schofer and Meyer, 2005). More recent official data show that 57% of young adults in OECD countries will participate in higher education over their lifetime, while 22% are will enroll in a master’s degree programme over their lifetime OECD, 5. According to the official rhetoric that accompanies these policies, the expansion of participation in higher education has beneficial outcomes at individual and national level. First, it would improve the life chances of young people equipping them with skills that are needed in the market, increase inclusiveness, bring about equality of educational opportunity and boost upward social mobility. Second, I would be of benefit to countries as well, since it would produce a highly skilled workforce necessary in modern knowledge and information societies (European Commission, 2011). Apart from the above considerations, policies for the expansion of higher education have been framed in terms of social justice. This is due to the association between participation and success in higher education and social justice. As Engberg :575 argues educational access, particularly as it relates to postsecondary education, remains a critical social justice concern of the twenty-first century . It constitutes, in other words, an issue which is at the epicenter of the public, political and scholarly debate, European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 8 │ 2017 251 Iakovos Tsiplakides HAS THE EXPANSION OF PARTICIPATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION LED TO A DECREASE IN SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES WITHIN IT? THE ROLE OF CULTURAL AND SOCIAL CAPITAL because it is acknowledged that inequalities in higher education entail wider societal inequalities. Governments adopt a human capital approach, so they invest heavily in higher education, believing there are positive associations between higher education, transition to the labour market and economic growth (Quinn, 2013; Shavit et al., 2007; Sianou-Kyrgiou and Tsiplakides, 2011). It is a serious concern, since, according to the official rhetoric, a university degree increases the chances of finding a job and the prospects of upward social mobility (Kyrides, 1997; Green and Vryonides, 2005; Thanos, 2007, 2009). In general throughout the modern world it is assumed that there is a positive association between education and individual, economic, political and cultural development (Chabbott and Ramirez, 2000; Asimaki et al, 2001). However, these optimistic expectations concerning the beneficial outcomes of an expanded higher education sector have not been realised. Empirical studies suggest that there are increasing advantages for children growing up in high-income families ”ailey and Dynarski, 2011:1). Research findings also indicate that inequalities persist and take other forms (Sianou-Kyrgiou and Tsiplakides, 2009). The reasons for the persisting inequalities in higher education, despite the fact that more young people than ever before participate in it are described and analysed in the following part. For downloading the full article, please access the following link: http://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejes/article/view/890 European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 8 │ 2017 252