Urban education differentiation and its socio-economic consequences: An internet–survey-based structural equations modeling analysis of new white collar workers in Nanjing, China

Increasing education differentiation and its social consequences, that is, the way in which urban education stratification has shaped the socio-economic outcomes, are an understudied area of research on China’s higher education and its relation with social stratification and social mobility. This article examines this relationship by focusing on a specific social group whom we term as “new white collar workers” (NWCWs) in China. Our research reveals a strong correlation between the individuals’ position in a stratified educational system on the one hand, and their professional development trajectory, income and social status differentiation on the other. The article argues that educational differentiation has considerably contributed to the varied pathways and profiles of the NWCWs with regard to career development, income levels and living conditions, and that in the market-reform era, young people’s education attainment and social advancement have become increasingly determined by their family background, especially parental wealth. The policy implications of the research are discussed.