EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITIES AMONG SCHOOL LEAVERS
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skilled manual and farmer groups relative to unskilled workers. However, in
spite of some changes among the class categories, there is no evidence of a
lessening in the relative advantage of professional groups in securing educational
qualifications in spite of levels of participation among this group which would
appear to approach saturation point.
V THIRD-LEVEL PARTICIPATION
Due to the timing of the school leavers’ surveys, we cannot assess social class
differences among those who complete third-level education. The surveys do,
however, indicate whether young people are participating in full-time third-
level education11 nine to twelve months after leaving school. While there is likely
to be some disparity between these figures and third-level completion due to
drop-out, this is not likely to affect the overall pattern substantially.
Participation in third-level education has increased substantially over the
period 1979 to 1994; 14 per cent of those who left school in 1979 went on to
third-level compared with 39 per cent of the total 1994 cohort (Table 5). The
growth in participation has been even more marked among young women (with
an increase from 14 per cent to 43 per cent), and among the 1994 cohort young
women are more likely than their male counterparts to be in full-time third-
level education. This significant increase in third-level entry on the part of women
must be seen in the context of broader social changes, such as higher female
labour force participation and increasing numbers in professional occupations,
which are likely to have affected the incentives for female participation in higher
education.
Table 5: Third-Level Participation by Gender and Year Left School
|
1979 |
1986 |
1994 | |
|
% |
% |
% | |
|
Males |
14.9 |
25.8 |
36.4 |
|
Females |
13.7 |
22.8 |
42.5 |
|
Total |
14.3 |
24.3 |
39.4 |
Note: The figures refer to participation in full-time third-level education nine to twelve
months after leaving school.
11. Third-level participation is defined as attendance at universities, Institutes of Technology
(formerly Regional Technical Colleges) or other third-level (including private) colleges. Post-Leaving
Certificate courses are not considered as “third-level” for these purposes.