The Experiences of Working-Class Medical Students in England and Portugal

Promenzio, Luany

Abstract

Higher education is a field in which there is still very restricted access for those from working-class backgrounds in many societies. As an aggravating factor, the most popular institutions and courses are the ones least accessible by these students, as their educational paths are marked by the lack of resources needed to access these spaces. This chapter draws on 16 interviews conducted with working-class students who succeeded in accessing high-status medical degree programmes at a range of universities in England and Portugal, in order to look at what these students' experiences are like using Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, field, and capitals. Understanding that habitus can be modified when encountering an environment different to the one already experienced, this study explores how working-class habitus responds to the institutional habitus and capitals needed in these unfamiliar fields. The findings suggest that institutional habitus works very intensely in the production of class inequalities at university, and that social capital is essential to successfully navigate the university field, albeit in different ways in the different contexts analysed.

Citation

Promenzio, L. (2024). The Experiences of Working-Class Medical Students in England and Portugal. In V. Boliver, & N. Siddiqui (Eds.), Researching Social Inequalities in Higher Education: Access, Diversity and Inclusion. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003452430-7

• Online Publication Date: Sep 10, 2024
• Publication Date: Sep 10, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 26, 2024
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Book Title: Researching Social Inequalities in Higher Education: Access, Diversity and Inclusion
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003452430-7
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2870014