Gender-Social Class Differences in Trajectories in Higher Education

In the American context, several studies have shown that non-linear student trajectories have become increasingly common (Andrews et al., 2014; Goldrick-Rab, 2006; Milesi, 2010). The results also show that economically disadvantaged students, minority students and those with weaker academic preparation are more likely to follow a non-linear trajectory (Goldrick-Rab, 2006; Milesi, 2010). Moreover, non-linear trajectories are more detrimental to graduation for disadvantaged students (Milesi, 2010; Pfeffer & Goldrick-Rab, 2011), making the question of the complexity of trajectories particularly important for social stratification in higher education. Outside the American context, empirical findings on students’ trajectories are still very rare (Haas & Hadjar, 2020) and very few studies have investigated the intersection of gender and social class effects on trajectories in higher education. This study draws on the concepts and methodologies of life-course analysis to assess the diversification of student trajectories over time, in the French case. Differentiation refers to the process where individual trajectories are becoming more complex (Brückner & Mayer, 2005). Applied to students’ trajectories, it means that students are expected to go through a greater number of different programs, or change institutions, with more moves in and out of the education system. De-standardization refers to the increasing diversity between people’s trajectories, implying that the typical sequence of events is experienced by a smaller share of the population (Aisenbrey & Fasang, 2010). Focusing on the French case, we estimate the extent to which changes in French higher education between 2008 and 2014 have been accompanied by differentiation and standardization of students’ trajectories depending on both their social origin and gender. It relies on nationally representative longitudinal datasets of students who entered higher education in 2008 (“Panel des bacheliers 2008”) and in 2014 (“Panel des bacheliers 2014) and compare gender-social class differences in trajectories up to the master’s degree level.