Social inequality and education in Mexico. A sociological perspective

Abstract

The document describes the educational distribution in the Mexican case, within a context of a highly differentiated and unequal society. After considering the importance of attending the socio-cultural diversity of the Mexican society and recognizing the fact that educational standards are dynamic, the document describes the distribution of educational credentials among the adult population and its placement in the income distribution. It shows that educational distribution is a very recent and growing phenomenon, but also a very unequal one. It describes the school participation among minors and its relation to family income; the same distances that were found among the adult population are identified within the school age population. It highlights the low educational profiles of all the income groups, allowing to propose the importance of expanding at the same time basic and posbasic education. Although educational equality has been part of the political discourse, policies have not yet been developed to formulate strategies toward diminishing the educational gaps between social groups. It urges to include equality targets into public policies in education.