The school as a reproducer of inequalities: The education of political elites in Mexico

Abstract

The widening of the education inequality gap is related to the changes fostered since the late 20th century to Mexico's political and economic model, which has led to the deterioration of public education at all levels. Additionally, the consolidation of a political elite that has predominantly been educated in private schools is a factor that contributes to ensuring the reproduction of inequalities through the school system, which we interpret from the perspective of the theory of Pierre Bordieu’s theory of reproduction. This article confronts the conception that refers to the normative ideal of the school as an equalizing agent and promoter of social mobility with the literature cited. The statistical and empirical evidence collected through the analysis of academic achievement results of students completing their basic education in Mexico, as well as the school and generational profile of the political elites in the country, represented here by the 32 governors in office in 2022 and the newly elected legislators of six state congresses, allow us to infer the close relationship between educational privatization and elite formation, suggesting that the legitimizing power of the school system contributes to multiplying social inequalities.