Continuing Education and Stratification at Midlife

Abstract

We ask whether patterns of racial ethnic and socioeconomic stratification in educational attainment are amplified or attenuated when we take a longer view of educational careers. We propose a model of staged advantage to understand how educational inequalities evolve over the life course. Distinct from cumulative advantage, staged advantage asserts that inequalities in education ebb and flow over the life course as the population at risk of making each educational transition changes along with the constraints they confront in seeking more education. Results based on data from the 2014 follow up of the sophomore cohort of High School and Beyond offer partial support for our hypotheses. The educational attainment process was far from over for our respondents as they aged through their 30s and 40s: More than 6 of 10 continued their formal training during this period, and 4 of 10 earned an additional credential. Patterns of educational stratification at midlife became more pronounced in some ways as women pulled further ahead of men in their educational attainments and parental education (but not income), and high school academic achievement continued to shape educational trajectories at the bachelor’s degree level and beyond. However, African Americans gained on whites during this life phase through continued formal (largely academic) training and slightly greater conditional probabilities of graduate or professional degree attainment; social background fails to predict earning an associate’s degree. These results, showing educational changes and transitions far into adulthood, have implications for our understanding of the complex role of education in stratification processes.

Timing and level of educational attainment and late‐life cognition in the KHANDLE study

“…Educational attainment has been extensively examined as a potential protective factor against late‐life cognitive decline 1,2 . In most studies of middle‐aged and older adults, educational attainment is commonly assessed at a single time point (eg, study enrollment), assuming that education is generally completed by early adulthood (eg, before age 25) and is stable throughout later life 3–6 . However, adult learners who follow “non‐traditional” educational trajectories (eg, delayed enrollment in postsecondary education or those who did not receive a standard high school diploma) are becoming increasingly common in the United States 7,8 .…”

“…However, adult learners who follow “non‐traditional” educational trajectories (eg, delayed enrollment in postsecondary education or those who did not receive a standard high school diploma) are becoming increasingly common in the United States 7,8 . A cohort study of individuals who graduated high school in 1982 found that 35% of individuals with a high school diploma at age 28 attained higher educational credentials between the ages of 28 and 50 years 5 . Another study showed that attaining at least a bachelor's degree after age 25 years (vs those who had a post‐high school certificate or lower) was associated with beneficial health outcomes, such as fewer depressive symptoms and better self‐rated health at midlife 3 .…”

“…1,2 In most studies of middle-aged and older adults, educational attainment is commonly assessed at a single time point (eg, study enrollment), assuming that education is generally completed by early adulthood (eg, before age 25) and is stable throughout later life. [3][4][5][6] However, adult learners who follow "non-traditional" educational trajectories (eg, delayed enrollment in postsecondary education or those who did not receive a standard high school diploma) are becoming increasingly common in the United States. 7,8 A cohort study of individuals who graduated high school in 1982 found that 35% of individuals with a high school diploma at age 28 attained higher educational credentials between the ages of 28 and 50 years.…”

“…7,8 A cohort study of individuals who graduated high school in 1982 found that 35% of individuals with a high school diploma at age 28 attained higher educational credentials between the ages of 28 and 50 years. 5 Another study showed that attaining at least a bachelor's degree after age 25 years (vs those who had a posthigh school certificate or lower) was associated with beneficial health outcomes, such as fewer depressive symptoms and better self-rated health at midlife. 3 These findings broadly suggest that educational attainment after the so-called traditional age may benefit later-life health.…”