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Social Problems of Iran 2025, 16(2): 9-52 |
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Asgharzadeh A, Babaiefard A, Tamannaifar M. (2025). The Commodification of Education and the Reproduction of Educational Inequality:
Teachers’ Narratives in Tabriz (A Qualitative Study). Social Problems of Iran. 16(2), 9-52.
URL: http://jspi.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3796-en.html
URL: http://jspi.khu.ac.ir/article-1-3796-en.html
1- PhD Candidate in Sociology, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran ,babaiefardm@gmail.com
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran ,
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran
Abstract: (47 Views)
This study probes teachers’ narratives of how educational inequality is reproduced amid the monetization of schooling. Educational justice is conceived as equal access to learning opportunities and resources—an aspiration that, under current conditions in Iran’s education system, has become a central challenge. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of Bourdieu, Illich, and Coleman, the study examines educational inequality through a thematic narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 30 teachers from various types of schools in the city of Tabriz, analyzing the mechanisms through which injustice is reproduced. Findings indicate that the ongoing monetization of education has substantially contributed to the reproduction of inequality across schools. The core theme emerging from the data is that education -expected to function as a vehicle for social mobility, positive change, and equal access to opportunities and resources- has become increasingly monetized. Four key themes signal this monetization: (1) social and cultural distinction; (2) a turn toward fee-charging and non-state schools; (3) unequal access to quality education; and (4) family poverty and its educational consequences. Moreover, under conditions of monetization, additional dynamics have created fertile ground for reproducing educational injustice: the dominance of virtual/online learning alongside unequal access to requisite technologies; the diminishing formative/educative role of schools and the erosion of their core instructional functions; and the concentration of family poverty in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Together, these processes channel advantages to already-privileged groups while systematically constraining the educational trajectories of students from low-income families. In conclusion, the study underscores the need for policy interventions at multiple levels to mitigate educational inequalities—interventions that address the cost structures of schooling, regulate the expanding private sector, strengthen public schools in under-resourced areas, and improve equitable access to digital learning infrastructures.
Over the past decades, the rise of neoliberal policies in the social and cultural domains has increasingly subjected education to processes of commodification and marketization. Once regarded as a primary mechanism for social mobility, equality of opportunity, and social justice, education has now been transformed into a commodity whose accessibility is closely tied to families’ economic and social capital. Under such conditions, existing inequalities are not only reproduced but also reinforced through the educational system. This phenomenon is particularly evident in major Iranian cities such as Tabriz. Despite its relatively advanced educational infrastructure, Tabriz has witnessed a growing gap in access to educational opportunities. The expansion of private schools, the escalation of educational costs, and the economic vulnerabilities of low-income households have created a dualized educational landscape. What was once imagined as a universal right has gradually become a stratified privilege, shaped by the intersection of class, gender, and geography.
Consequently, the educational system has become a key site for the reproduction of inequality. Wealthier families, through their economic, cultural, and social resources, are able to invest more substantially in their children’s education, thereby reproducing and consolidating their privileged status across generations. Conversely, low-income and marginalized families, constrained by economic deprivation and limited cultural capital, often relegate education to a lower priority. This results in increased dropout rates, early entrance into the labor market, child labor, and early marriages, particularly among girls. The erosion of the public nature of education further exacerbates these disparities, as state policies implicitly legitimize the transfer of responsibility from public institutions to individual households.
The present study therefore aims to explore how educational injustice is reproduced through the commodification of schooling in Tabriz. Its significance lies in uncovering how macro-level educational policies manifest in micro-level everyday practices of students and families, producing two distinct responses: (1) among upper classes, a strategy of investment in education to reproduce privilege, and (2) among lower classes, a forced withdrawal from education due to economic and cultural deprivation. By situating these dynamics within the broader political economy of education, the study highlights the structural character of educational injustice and its long-term implications for social cohesion, class mobility, and democratic participation.
2. Methodology
This research adopts a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews as its primary method. The qualitative design was chosen in order to capture the lived experiences, perceptions, and narratives of participants regarding educational inequality and injustice. Sampling was purposeful, including students, parents, and teachers from diverse districts of Tabriz. While some participants were selected from affluent central and northern neighborhoods with relatively better educational resources, others came from the southern and peripheral areas where deprivation is more acute. Care was taken to ensure class and gender diversity among participants.
Data collection relied on open-ended questions concerning experiences of schooling, barriers to educational access, perceptions of fairness, the implications of rising educational costs, and aspirations for the future. Interviews were audio-recorded and fully transcribed.
Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis. Interview transcripts were repeatedly reviewed, codes were generated, and key themes were identified and organized into conceptual categories. To enhance validity, triangulation strategies such as diversity of sources, peer debriefing, and comparison with prior research findings were applied.
3. Findings
Analysis revealed that educational inequality in Tabriz is reproduced through the commodification of schooling across three major dimensions:
(a) Unequal Access to Educational Resources: Participants highlighted that supplementary resources such as private tutoring, extracurricular classes, private schools, digital learning tools, and cultural centers (libraries, art institutes) are not equally available. Wealthy families can afford such investments, while low-income households struggle to provide even basic educational needs.
(b) Economic and Cultural Poverty: Deprivation is not merely economic but also cultural. Families with lower educational attainment often lack the cultural capital necessary to value and prioritize schooling. The intersection of economic and cultural poverty leads to deprioritization of education, with children pushed toward early labor participation, dropout, or premature marriage.
(c) Social and Individual Consequences: Educational injustice produces profound consequences. Parents in disadvantaged classes experience frustration and a sense of failure, while students express hopelessness, lack of motivation, and resignation to precarious futures in informal labor markets. In contrast, privileged families mobilize their economic and cultural resources to secure access to elite universities and high-status positions for their children.
(d) Class-based Duality in Educational Strategies
The findings underscore a duality:
4. Conclusion
The study demonstrates that the commodification of education has intensified educational injustice in Tabriz. Rather than serving as a pathway toward social equality, education has become a mechanism for reproducing class divisions. Upper classes, through systematic investment, preserve their privileged status, while lower classes are structurally marginalized from quality education.
This trend signals a profound transformation of education from a liberatory and justice-oriented institution into an instrument of inequality reproduction. The long-term consequences include entrenchment of class stratification, reduced social mobility, intergenerational poverty, and heightened social vulnerabilities.
Accordingly, the findings suggest several policy implications at multiple levels:
In sum, the commodification of education in Iran, exemplified in Tabriz, illustrates how neoliberal educational reforms exacerbate inequality, transforming education from a vehicle of social justice into a field of stratification and exclusion.
Extended Abstract
1. IntroductionOver the past decades, the rise of neoliberal policies in the social and cultural domains has increasingly subjected education to processes of commodification and marketization. Once regarded as a primary mechanism for social mobility, equality of opportunity, and social justice, education has now been transformed into a commodity whose accessibility is closely tied to families’ economic and social capital. Under such conditions, existing inequalities are not only reproduced but also reinforced through the educational system. This phenomenon is particularly evident in major Iranian cities such as Tabriz. Despite its relatively advanced educational infrastructure, Tabriz has witnessed a growing gap in access to educational opportunities. The expansion of private schools, the escalation of educational costs, and the economic vulnerabilities of low-income households have created a dualized educational landscape. What was once imagined as a universal right has gradually become a stratified privilege, shaped by the intersection of class, gender, and geography.
Consequently, the educational system has become a key site for the reproduction of inequality. Wealthier families, through their economic, cultural, and social resources, are able to invest more substantially in their children’s education, thereby reproducing and consolidating their privileged status across generations. Conversely, low-income and marginalized families, constrained by economic deprivation and limited cultural capital, often relegate education to a lower priority. This results in increased dropout rates, early entrance into the labor market, child labor, and early marriages, particularly among girls. The erosion of the public nature of education further exacerbates these disparities, as state policies implicitly legitimize the transfer of responsibility from public institutions to individual households.
The present study therefore aims to explore how educational injustice is reproduced through the commodification of schooling in Tabriz. Its significance lies in uncovering how macro-level educational policies manifest in micro-level everyday practices of students and families, producing two distinct responses: (1) among upper classes, a strategy of investment in education to reproduce privilege, and (2) among lower classes, a forced withdrawal from education due to economic and cultural deprivation. By situating these dynamics within the broader political economy of education, the study highlights the structural character of educational injustice and its long-term implications for social cohesion, class mobility, and democratic participation.
2. Methodology
This research adopts a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews as its primary method. The qualitative design was chosen in order to capture the lived experiences, perceptions, and narratives of participants regarding educational inequality and injustice. Sampling was purposeful, including students, parents, and teachers from diverse districts of Tabriz. While some participants were selected from affluent central and northern neighborhoods with relatively better educational resources, others came from the southern and peripheral areas where deprivation is more acute. Care was taken to ensure class and gender diversity among participants.
Data collection relied on open-ended questions concerning experiences of schooling, barriers to educational access, perceptions of fairness, the implications of rising educational costs, and aspirations for the future. Interviews were audio-recorded and fully transcribed.
Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis. Interview transcripts were repeatedly reviewed, codes were generated, and key themes were identified and organized into conceptual categories. To enhance validity, triangulation strategies such as diversity of sources, peer debriefing, and comparison with prior research findings were applied.
3. Findings
Analysis revealed that educational inequality in Tabriz is reproduced through the commodification of schooling across three major dimensions:
(a) Unequal Access to Educational Resources: Participants highlighted that supplementary resources such as private tutoring, extracurricular classes, private schools, digital learning tools, and cultural centers (libraries, art institutes) are not equally available. Wealthy families can afford such investments, while low-income households struggle to provide even basic educational needs.
(b) Economic and Cultural Poverty: Deprivation is not merely economic but also cultural. Families with lower educational attainment often lack the cultural capital necessary to value and prioritize schooling. The intersection of economic and cultural poverty leads to deprioritization of education, with children pushed toward early labor participation, dropout, or premature marriage.
(c) Social and Individual Consequences: Educational injustice produces profound consequences. Parents in disadvantaged classes experience frustration and a sense of failure, while students express hopelessness, lack of motivation, and resignation to precarious futures in informal labor markets. In contrast, privileged families mobilize their economic and cultural resources to secure access to elite universities and high-status positions for their children.
(d) Class-based Duality in Educational Strategies
The findings underscore a duality:
- Upper classes commodify education as an investment strategy to reproduce and consolidate social privilege.
- Lower classes, by contrast, experience exclusion from quality education due to the burdens of cost and lack of cultural capital, thus remaining trapped in cycles of poverty and inequality.
4. Conclusion
The study demonstrates that the commodification of education has intensified educational injustice in Tabriz. Rather than serving as a pathway toward social equality, education has become a mechanism for reproducing class divisions. Upper classes, through systematic investment, preserve their privileged status, while lower classes are structurally marginalized from quality education.
This trend signals a profound transformation of education from a liberatory and justice-oriented institution into an instrument of inequality reproduction. The long-term consequences include entrenchment of class stratification, reduced social mobility, intergenerational poverty, and heightened social vulnerabilities.
Accordingly, the findings suggest several policy implications at multiple levels:
- School level: enforcing transparency in tuition fees, strengthening public schools in disadvantaged areas, and monitoring the quality of private schools.
- Municipal and provincial level: introducing supportive programs through municipalities and provincial education authorities to provide free or low-cost extracurricular classes in marginalized neighborhoods.
- National level: revisiting private education policies, regulating profit-oriented educational advertisements, and designing redistributive policies such as vouchers or educational subsidies for low-income groups.
In sum, the commodification of education in Iran, exemplified in Tabriz, illustrates how neoliberal educational reforms exacerbate inequality, transforming education from a vehicle of social justice into a field of stratification and exclusion.
Keywords: Commodification of Education, Educational Inequality, Thematic Narrative Analysis, Social Reproduction, Private/non-state schools.
Type of Article: Original Research |
Subject:
Social problems
Received: 2024/12/5 | Accepted: 2025/02/3 | Published: 2025/08/24
Received: 2024/12/5 | Accepted: 2025/02/3 | Published: 2025/08/24
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