This text is part of the special Higher Education notebook
Parents’ income and level of education remain major determinants of young people’s access to post-secondary studies and their chances of obtaining a higher education diploma, shows a report from the Quebec Observatory of Inequalities.
The creation of CEGEPs in 1967 with the aim of democratizing post-secondary education bore fruit. In 2024, according to a Léger survey, 79% of adults aged 18-34 were attending or had attended a CEGEP, compared to 44% of people aged 55 and over.
Women have particularly benefited from this progression. The recent Bulletin on Equal Opportunities in Education from the Quebec Observatory of Inequalities indicates that a greater proportion of men than women born between 1992 and 2000 had no access to college education. This gap reaches more than 20 percentage points for all income quintiles, except for the most affluent.
The Observatory’s report, however, shows that although post-secondary education has indeed been democratized over the past fifty years, some young people remain more equal than others, to paraphrase George Orwell. “Significant inequalities linked to social origin persist,” underlines Xavier St-Denis, professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS) and co-author of the Bulletin.
Parents’ income
“We have created a series of indicators on equal opportunities in education, from preschool to higher education, which paints a picture of the obstacles encountered in access to education, in academic performance and in obtaining diplomas,” continues the professor.
As for pre-university college programs, parental income remains very determining. The researchers divided households into five quintiles, from the poorest 20% to the richest 20%. Among young people born in 1992, only 47% of those from the least fortunate households attended college. This proportion reaches 85% among the better off. In technical programs, we do not find such inequality.
When we look at the cohort of students born in 2000, we see that the gap in access to pre-university college tends to narrow between households. “However, we do not see a similar catch-up in terms of the graduation of the least well-off students, which does not increase over time,” continues Xavier St-Denis. This suggests that they encounter obstacles during their studies, which hinder their perseverance. » We find the same inequalities in access to university and obtaining university diplomas, except for the certificate.
The Observatory’s report also indicates differences in access to and success in college depending on the level of education of the parents. The higher it is, the higher the access rates and success in pre-university programs. Conversely, more than 90% of men and 80% of women whose parents did not graduate from high school have no college diploma.
Possible solutions
“It is important that the issue of social inequalities and educational inequalities remains on the agenda in Quebec,” says Pierre Doray, associate professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Quebec in Montreal and co-author of the report. . These inequalities start very early in people’s lives and their effects accumulate. »
According to Mr. Doray, this report allows us to take a nuanced look at the reality of CEGEPs, testifying both to their success in the democratization of education, while highlighting inequalities that persist.
“We see that the socio-economic conditions of parents and cultural differences linked to the level of education still play a large role in access to post-secondary studies,” maintains the professor. Therefore, we must take this into account in the development of our social and educational policies. »
At the postsecondary level, we can, for example, think about improvements in financial aid measures, particularly in a context where the price of housing and food has increased significantly. More generally, this report serves to advocate for an intensification of the fight against poverty. Pierre Doray also advocates for a vision of lifelong education, by making it easier to return to school.
Furthermore, secondary schools have a role to play in lighting the flame of post-secondary studies among young people who may believe that it is not for them. “There are inequalities linked to the level of wealth, but there is also a cultural aspect to the formation of aspirations among young people, and on which we can work better,” believes Xavier St-Denis.
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