French Schools are Changing: But Post-School Transition is Becoming More and More Difficult

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to assess progress towards greater social equality in education in France. Micro-level studies indicate some improvements in school education, but the macro-level picture is more mixed. There has been a massification of successive levels of French secondary and tertiary education, with program expansion and rising qualification levels. But is the system more democratic? Social relativities both in participation and in transition to further study and employment remain marked. Vertical displacement in the labour market (through over-qualification) and horizontal displacement (based on social origins) are impeding social mobility through education.