Beyond access: Intersectional challenges for Higher Education success in South Africa
Dados Bibliográficos
| AUTOR(ES) | |
|---|---|
| AFILIAÇÃO(ÕES) | University of Essex, United Kingdom, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, University College Cork, Ireland, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom, MANCOSA/University of Free State, South Africa |
| ANO | 2025 |
| TIPO | Artigo |
| PERIÓDICO | International Sociology |
| ISSN | 0268-5809 |
| E-ISSN | 1461-7242 |
| EDITORA | Annual Reviews (United States) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02685809251334933 |
| ADICIONADO EM | 2025-08-18 |
Resumo
In South Africa, children of single-headed households (70% of whom are Black) have significantly worse educational outcomes than any other demographic. While the impact of family structures has been scrutinised in pre-18 education, it remains understudied concerning access and success in Higher Education. Based on semi-structured interviews with students and alumni raised in single-headed households, this article explores the interplay of family milieu and Higher Education. Using a Bourdieusian framework, authors identify three key configurations between family and Higher Education fields (alignment, fraught (mis)alignment, and parallel fields), which have a long-lasting impact on individual educational trajectories and the fabric of South African society. Black women remain disproportionately disadvantaged in the post-apartheid university, and the family milieu as a key site of intersectional inequalities remains under-researched. This article reveals the structural impact of transgenerational social reproduction in post-colonial societies and argues for a policy shift away from discourses of individual resilience.