AN ANALYSIS OF ETHNIC STRATIFICATION AND DETERMINANTS OF GENDER

INEQUALITIESIN THE CHINESE EDUCATION SYSTEM

MEGAN LORIA

INTRODUCTION

Experiences in Yunnan

“Ethnic Minority Education” (minzu jiaoyu)

Pejorative?

Why are educational disparities among ethnic groups important?

“Ultimate equalizer” (Guo)

Fragmentation in China

LITERACY, ILLITERACY, CIVILIZATION

What is the Chinese concept of literacy? Of civility?

Historical Significance: Culturalism

wenmang, wenming,

“My mother is a wenmang”

RESEARCH QUESTION

What explains the disparities in educational attainment among different ethnic groups in China?

•Culture and attitudes toward education

• Language• Economic factors (Agriculture/Ethno-tourism)

• 小农意识• Religion • Minority-Han relations (Naxi, Dai, Tibetans, Manchu)

•Gender Gap(s)•Regional Factors

• Geographical, Topographical, Educational Reform,

Fertility rates.

Theoretical Framework:The Role and Value of Education, Barriers to Education

Photo Credit: 叶萌 （ Ye Meng ）

Hypotheses

METHODOLOGY

China’s 2000 Census China’s 1990 1%

Census

Experience as research assistant in Yunnan.

Kunming, Yunnan IRB approval

REGRESSION ANALYSES INTERVIEWS

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

ETHNICITY

MEAN STD. DEVIATION

Han 2.08 1.262

Korean 2.60 1.450

Naxi 4.18 2.276

Tibetan 1.15 .810

Dai 2.07 1.616

Independent Variable: Education Received, Values: 1-7

1-illiterate, 2-primary school, 3-junior middle school, 4-senior middle school, 5-technical school, 6-junior college, 7-university.

SOURCES

Guo, Gang. "Decentralized Education Spending and Regional Disparities: Evidence from Chinese Counties 1997–2001." Journal of Chinese Political Science 11.2 (2006): 45-60. Print.

Guo, Gang. "Persistent Inequalities in Funding for Rural Schooling in Contemporary China." Asian Survey 47.2 (2007): 213-30. Print.

Hannum, Emily. "Educational Stratification by Ethnicity in China: Enrollment and Attainment in the Early Reform Years." Demography 39.1 (2002): 95-117. Print.

Hansen, Mette Halskov. Lessons in Being Chinese: Minority Education and Ethnic Identity in Southwest China. Seattle: University of Washington, 1999. Print.

Liu, Judith, Heidi A. Ross, and Donald P. Kelly. The Ethnographic Eye: An Interpretive Study of Education in China. New York: Falmer, 2000. Print.

Yu, Haibo. "Cultural Integration and Education of the Naxi." Chinese Education & Society 43.1 (2010): 36-45. Print.