Does Education Legitimise Inequality? Comparative Analysis of Income Inequality, Education, and Meritocratic Beliefs.

IF 3.3 2区社会学 Q1 SOCIOLOGY

British Journal of Sociology Pub Date : 2025-09-13 DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.70029

Cheng Liu, Jingjing Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The paradox of inequality posits that individuals in high-inequality societies paradoxically exhibit stronger meritocratic beliefs, perceiving their societies as systems that reward individuals based on ability and effort rather than social background or connections. This study presents an explanation from the perspective of critical sociology of education, complementing prior research that offers community contextual and psychosocial insights. By analysing the ISSP 2019 dataset, which includes 29 countries or regions, we find that in countries or regions with high income inequality, education serves to legitimise inequality and diminishes individuals' awareness of the structural factors contributing to inequality. Conversely, in those with low inequality, while basic education also functions to legitimise inequality, advanced stages of education possess an enlightening character that enables individuals to be more aware of the structural factors that lead to inequality. Generally, by estimating the interactions between education and country-level income inequality, this study elucidates the factors contributing to the paradox of inequality and reconciles the persistent argument between legitimisation and enlightenment theories of education.

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教育使不平等合法化了吗？收入不平等、教育和精英主义信仰的比较分析。

不平等悖论认为，高度不平等社会中的个人自相矛盾地表现出更强的精英主义信仰，认为他们的社会体系是基于能力和努力而不是社会背景或关系来奖励个人的。本研究从批判教育社会学的角度提出解释，补充了先前提供社区情境和社会心理洞见的研究。通过分析包括29个国家或地区的ISSP 2019数据集，我们发现，在收入不平等严重的国家或地区，教育使不平等合法化，并降低了个人对导致不平等的结构性因素的认识。相反，在那些不平等程度较低的国家，虽然基础教育也起到了使不平等合法化的作用，但教育的高级阶段具有启发性，使个人能够更加意识到导致不平等的结构性因素。总的来说，通过估算教育与国家层面收入不平等之间的相互作用，本研究阐明了导致不平等悖论的因素，并调和了教育合法化理论与启蒙理论之间的持久争论。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

British Journal of Sociology SOCIOLOGY-

CiteScore

4.50

自引率

4.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： British Journal of Sociology is published on behalf of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is unique in the United Kingdom in its concentration on teaching and research across the full range of the social, political and economic sciences. Founded in 1895 by Beatrice and Sidney Webb, the LSE is one of the largest colleges within the University of London and has an outstanding reputation for academic excellence nationally and internationally. Mission Statement: • To be a leading sociology journal in terms of academic substance, scholarly reputation , with relevance to and impact on the social and democratic questions of our times • To publish papers demonstrating the highest standards of scholarship in sociology from authors worldwide; • To carry papers from across the full range of sociological research and knowledge • To lead debate on key methodological and theoretical questions and controversies in contemporary sociology, for example through the annual lecture special issue • To highlight new areas of sociological research, new developments in sociological theory, and new methodological innovations, for example through timely special sections and special issues • To react quickly to major publishing and/or world events by producing special issues and/or sections • To publish the best work from scholars in new and emerging regions where sociology is developing • To encourage new and aspiring sociologists to submit papers to the journal, and to spotlight their work through the early career prize • To engage with the sociological community – academics as well as students – in the UK and abroad, through social media, and a journal blog.