Education and social reproduction: Educational mechanisms and residential segregation in Athens and Dortmund

Based on quantitative data depicting two different, but equally crucial transitions within the educational career of pupils in Athens/Greece(1) and Dortmund/Germany,(2) the paper focuses on the main social selection processes reproducing educational inequalities in each city. It draws on discussions on education as a mechanism of social reproduction, on parental strategies as well as on local research regarding educational inequalities. Though the different educational strategies of middle-class parents in Athens and Dortmund can be related to differences between the two cities in terms of school systems and policies as well as of segregation levels and housing market conditions, they seem to follow a similar logic, with their objective being to create further advantage for their children.