Figure of the month: 17

For the first time in Austria, a study has traced a student cohort over 17 years. Drawing on data from around 85,500 people, it shows how inequalities accumulate across educational stages.

One factor stands out: parental education. At age 16, children of highly educated parents are around three and a half times more likely to attend a school leading to a university entrance qualification than children whose parents have low levels of education. By age 22, they are around five and a half times more likely to be in tertiary education.

Social background proves to be more significant than migration background. Despite all known differences, the most common educational trajectory – observed among those with and without a migration background – is identical: proceeding from primary school through the lower and upper cycles of academic secondary school (AHS) to higher education.

These findings point beyond individual choices. When much learning takes place outside school, families’ time, resources and experience shape the support children receive. Expanding all-day schools would reduce parental resource dependency of educational success and serve disadvantaged most. The 17-year perspective makes one point clear: educational inequality is not only created at a single transition. It builds and increases over time.

Mario Steiner
IHS Researcher
Educational Structures and Educational Opportunities

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