Inequalities in educational opportunities of adolescents in Brazil and Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine recent trends in educational stratification for adolescents in Brazil and in Mexico in three distinct periods: the 1980s, years of severe recession, the 1990s, a period of structural adjustment, and the 2000s, a decade of growth. In addition to school enrollment and educational transitions, we also examined enrollment in private schools, an important aspect of educational inequality rarely addressed in studies on this topic. We used nationally representative data from the PNAD for Brazil and ENIGH for Mexico. Our findings confirm the significant benefits brought by recent improved conditions of universal primary education, but also identify increasing disadvantages associated with access to private schools, suggesting the importance of the EMI perspective (Effectively Maintained Inequality). The study emphasizes the importance of examining the quality in addition to the quantity of formal education for a deeper understanding of educational stratification in both Brazil and Mexico.