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Ethnicity and Effectively Maintained Inequality in BC Universities
Robert Sweet1, Karen Robson2, Maria Adamuti-Trache3
1Lakehead University.
Canadian Review of Sociology = Revue Canadienne De Sociologie
|November 10, 2017
Summary
Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender significantly impact admission to Canadian research-intensive universities (RIUs). Academic merit alone may not ensure equitable access for all ethnic groups.
Area of Science:
- Sociology of Education
- Higher Education Studies
- Ethnic Studies
Background:
- Canadian postsecondary systems exhibit increasing institutional differentiation.
- Distinctions exist between research-intensive universities (RIUs) and teaching-intensive universities in British Columbia regarding resources, programming, and prestige.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role of ethnicity in competition for admission to RIUs within British Columbia.
- To investigate how ethnicity interacts with socioeconomic status and gender in RIU admissions.
Main Methods:
- Employed an effectively maintained inequality framework.
- Analyzed admission data considering ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, high school GPA, and English proficiency.
Main Results:
- Ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender are significantly related to RIU attendance rates.
- Chinese and Korean speakers showed the highest likelihood of attending RIUs, while Tagalog speakers showed the lowest.
- High school GPA and English proficiency scores only partially moderated ethnic differences in attendance.
Conclusions:
- Ethnic disparities in RIU attendance persist despite academic qualifications.
- Current competitive admissions policies based solely on academic merit may not effectively address ethnic inequalities in higher education access.
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