abstract: 'This paper examines trends in the participation in higher education by

  disadvantaged social groups over the recent period of higher education

  expansion and reform. It has been suggested that disadvantaged groups

  can recoup by participation at mature ages and this question is

  examined. The data sources used are the Labour Force Survey (1986-1995),

  which yielded 13384 students (6747 men and 6637 women), and the General

  Household Survey (1984-1992), which yielded 1936 students (982 men and

  954 women). From a perspective of equal opportunities, the relative

  participation of young people from manual and non-manual origins does

  not appear to have changed over the period considered, but there is some

  evidence of increased relative participation by people from manual class

  origins as mature students. Mature students from such origins were older

  than those from non-manual class origins, as were mature women than

  mature men, with consequences for employability. From a perspective of

  lifelong learning, the recent expansion has been successful, with more

  entrants from the unemployed. Considerable percentages of women also

  enter from full-time housework, and increasing percentages from manual

  work. However, as in the past, many entrants had been successful in

  becoming employed before entry, some being seconded by employers.

  Despite these changes, the greatest absolute take-up has been from

  middle class youth. Early employment outcomes were examined and suggest

  some discrimination against mature students. It is possible that the

  increased cost of higher education, in the context of an expanded labour

  market of graduates, may deter some mature students.'
affiliation: 'Egerton, M (Corresponding Author), Univ Manchester, Ctr Census \& Survey
  Res, Fac Econ \& Social Studies, Manchester M13 9PL, Lancs, England.

  Univ Manchester, Ctr Census \& Survey Res, Fac Econ \& Social Studies, Manchester
  M13 9PL, Lancs, England.'
author: Egerton, M
author_list:
- family: Egerton
  given: M
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1111/1467-985X.00157
files: []
issn: 0964-1998
journal: JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY SERIES A-STATISTICS IN SOCIETY
keywords: 'access to education; gender; higher education; mature study; social

  class'
language: English
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '44'
pages: 63-80
papis_id: 05af635a6fb7f6d724f1c73adffb11fa
ref: Egerton2000monitoringcontempora
times-cited: '10'
title: 'Monitoring contemporary student flows and characteristics: secondary analyses
  using the Labour Force Survey and the General Household Survey'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000085557500010
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '7'
volume: '163'
web-of-science-categories: Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods; Statistics \& Probability
year: '2000'