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.