Exploring Inequalities in Cross-Border Education: A Case Study of Cross-Border Schooling and Housing Decisions between Shenzhen and Hong Kong

Education and housing choices are intertwined, contributing to simultaneous wealth accumulation and social reproduction inequalities. A significant body of research has used Bourdieu’s concept of capital to explore how parents make strategic schooling and housing choices. However, how such intersected dynamics play out in cross-border education has thus far been neglected despite its growing importance. Particularly, how are different types of capital converted to each other across borders at the intersection of housing and education? How to secure social reproduction through such circular migration? This paper explores these questions using the case of Cross-Border Students (CBS) between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, drawing on the concept of Bourdiesian capital and border studies.

This paper examines these questions through qualitative analysis of 28 semi-structured interviews collected from CBS families, supplemented with other public data, including official reports, policy documents and social media. The anticipated outcomes include two aspects – spatial behaviour and inequality. Economic capital demonstrates higher transferability across the border, enabling CBS families to offset spatial disadvantages by leveraging economic capital to school districts in Hong Kong through property rental and investments. However, mainland families with substantial economic capital later opt to enrol their children in expensive mainland international institutions, dropping the housing decisions in Hong Kong. This shift arises as school allocation in Hong Kong integrates privileged students with other peers, weakening the original advantages linked to economic capital. Consequently, wealthy families returned to an environment where social capital easily converted to “better education”. The affluent families secure schooling and housing advantages, and the economically disadvantaged group settle for affordable public schools in Hong Kong, enduring geographic difficulties of longer commutes and reduced social interactions with peers. This study reveals inequality among CBS with different backgrounds, contributing to a more resilient educational distribution.