Affiliations: INSEE, 18, Bd. Adolphe Pinard, 75675 Paris Cedex 14, France
Note: [1] Meritocracy and social heredity in France. A study based on surveys on the professional education and qualifications for 1970, 1977, 1985, 1993.
Abstract: Our study focuses on the links between social origins, educational attainments, and social destinations in France. We use data from the four latest surveys on Education and Qualifications (Enquêtes sur la Formation et la Qualification Professionnelle) for 1970, 1977, 1985 and 1993. Our main findings are the following: – The inequalities in social destinations among persons with identical educational attainments but of different social backgrounds are as wide as inequalities in the school system. – The pattern of social mobility has remained virtually unchanged for the past half century.
