Journal Article

Taking advantage: informal social mechanisms and equal opportunities policies

Taylor-Gooby, Peter

2011

Overview

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine how factors including class position, education, social network membership and cultural capital contribute to the intergenerational transmission of class advantage for women and men in different European welfare states.Design methodology approach - The paper analyses the European Social Survey round 1 data.Findings - Education is the dominant institutional mechanism for reproduction of privilege, but social network membership plays an important subsidiary role. The contribution of membership is highly gendered, even in the overtly more open social democratic and liberal societies.Research limitations implications - There were data limitations in ESS: no time-series data, and no data on wealth.Practical implications - The findings are of particular policy relevance at a time when reform programmes are stressing individual opportunity and shifting responsibility from state to citizen, so that informal pathways to the reproduction of privilege become more significant. These include network membership, contacts and cultural capital.Social implications - The research indicates the importance of social network membership and sheds light on how this works to the advantage of middle and upper class groups and men in different European countries.Originality value - No other studies have used these data to explore these issues to the author's knowledge, and one needs to understand more about these issues in the context of current concerns about inequality and opportunity.

• Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subject: Access to education / Advantages / Affirmative action / Citizens / Class / Clientelism / Cultural Capital / Cultural factors / Culture / Data / Education / Employment / Equal opportunities / Equal opportunity / Equal rights / Equality / Europe / Gender / Income inequality / Inequality / Intergenerational relationships / Intergenerational transmission / Knowledge / Labor market / Membership / Middle class / Privilege / Responsibility / Social Class / Social classes / Social mechanisms / Social mobility / Social Networks / Social policy / Social privilege / Social research / Social welfare / Socioeconomic factors / Statistical analysis / Studies / Universalism / Upper class / Upward mobility / Wealth / Welfare / Welfare State / Women