SOCIAL CLASS AND PARENTAL ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATION: Resistance and Conformity to Schooling in the Family

This study investigates the impact of social class on parents' attitudes toward their children's education. The results suggest that two concepts—resistance and conformity—are central to understanding parental attitudes toward education and the process by which those attitudes are shaped. The data indicate that the probability parents will conform to or resist the meritocratic ideology of acquiring a college degree to help ensure occupational success tends to depend on parents' social-class background and, concomitantly, on whether they have experienced “hidden injuries of class.” A more inclusive sampling strategy proved useful in documenting the varied attitudes found among working-class and middle-class parents. The attitudes of parents toward higher education have the potential to influence their children's attitudes toward education, their children's chances of obtaining a college degree, and their own chances of returning to school. This research suggests that the family is an important site for cultural production and social reproduction.