Economic inequality is high and rising in a number of developed countries, including in the United Kingdom and the United States. There are growing concerns that this may have negative implications for equality of opportunity, and the extent to which social disadvantage is transmitted across generations. It is widely believed that providing…

Examines the educational choices that young people and parents from different class backgrounds make at transition points within the system that the Rational Action Theory offers. Observes that the choices parents and their children make augment and amplify social-class differentiation. Explores two explanations for this phenomenon: "rational…