Beyond the Standard Educational Trajectory. Atypical Educational Participation and Social Inequalities over the Life Course

Education is a central mechanism in the (re-)production of social inequality. Research on educational stratification has traditionally focused on age-normative educational trajectories, such as the transition from compulsory schooling to vocational education and training (VET) or higher education during adolescence and early adulthood. Yet, educational participation increasingly occurs outside these standard pathways. Some individuals enter education earlier than is typical for their age cohort, other individuals engage in (formal) learning activities much later in adulthood, beyond ages of traditional educational participation. This session highlights educational participation beyond age-normative educational trajectories. It focuses on (1) the individual characteristics and educational trajectories of non-standard learners, (2) the social determinants and institutional conditions for early or late educational opportunities, and (3) implications for educational and labour market returns and thus social stratification over the life course as such.