A comparative analysis of the inequalities in access to university in Argentina, Spain and Mexico in 2013

Abstract

This paper attempts to provide new evidences to the study of structural and decisional factors affecting access to higher education in a comparative perspective among Argentina, Spain and Mexico. Two different models of analysis are tested: a structural distribution of opportunities to access to university, and a decisional model applied on the elements that influence this particular educational choice. We get data from three different but comparable sources that follow the evolution of the labor market (EPH, EPA, ENOE surveys). We applied a bivariate and a logistic regression using the access of youth between 20 to 24 years old as dependent variable. The results for 2013 continue demonstrating the importance of structural factors in opportunities for access to the university, such as social class or gender. However, the fact that in Argentina the university does not involve a direct economic cost, is free and have unrestricted access, has a double impact: first influences the distribution of opportunities and enhances the cultural and motivational factors beyond the economic constraints of individuals, and secondly, given that the costs are lower than in other countries, access rates still are relatively low.