According to the European Commission there is a strong link between leaving education and training early, social disadvantage and a low level of parental education (2011b). Many studies confirm that low socio-economic status is one of the key factors that can increase the risk of early leaving. In general, early leavers are much more likely to come from families with a low socio-economic status, i.e. unemployed parents, low household income, and low levels of parental education, or to belong to vulnerable social groups such as migrants (European Parliament, 2011).
In an analysis made as part of the Bulgarian government's strategy for reducing the rate of early leaving (see Chapter 3 and the National Information Sheets) socio-economic reasons have been identified as being amongst the main causes of early leaving. Unemployment, low income, low living standards and poverty put many students at an increased risk of dropping out of school. As a result of financial and economic difficulties, many students have to help their families by contributing to family income, which affects their participation in the learning process.
Similarly, a Dutch survey on the reasons for leaving school prematurely reveals that the students are in general more likely to come from poor, socially disadvantaged, backgrounds where parents have a low level of education, and where they need to contribute to the family income or take adult responsibilities. Personal problems (e.g. parents' divorce) have also been frequently mentioned among the main reasons for their decision to abandon schooling (ROA, 2013).
In Austria, a study carried out by Steiner (2009) determined that students whose parents left school early face a seven times higher risk of leaving school early than students with well-educated parents. As for students whose parents are unemployed, this risk is five times higher than for students whose parents are in employment.
A number of family-related factors such as family instability and lifestyle, single-parenthood, poor living conditions, physical and mental health and domestic violence can, moreover, increase young peoples' likelihood of giving up education and training prematurely. Other family-related factors such as parent- child relationships and parental involvement in children's education can also play a role (European Parliament, 2011).
In Poland, some of the main reasons identified for students leaving education and training early are related to family circumstances and the ways families operate (e.g. child negligence, pathologies in the family, alcoholism, lack of parenting skills), as well as a low level of parental educational attainment and a lack of positive educational role models in the family (Fatyga et al., 2001).
In the United Kingdom (England), children in local authority care are much more likely to be not in education, employment or training than their peers (House of Commons, 2009).
Related to the employment status and income of parents, which are commonly referred to as risk factors for early leaving, a low level of parental education is also considered as a major contributing risk factor (OECD, 2012). The level of education of the mother, in particular, is associated with a higher risk (Nevala et al., 2011). This finding has been confirmed by a study carried out in Croatia
Chapter 2: Fac tors Contributing to Students Leav ing the Educ ation and Training Sy stem Early
deprivation coupled with low levels of educational attainment among parents is likely to have a detrimental impact on children's education. Figure 2.1 presents a picture of how many children are at risk of being affected by this socio-economic disadvantage; it shows the rate of children (aged 0-17) with parents whose education level is ISCED 0-2 at most, and who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. These rates are compared to rates of children (aged 0-17) whose parents achieved upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 3-4) as well as children whose parental educational level is at ISCED 5-6 (first and second stage of tertiary education).
Figure 2.1: Percentage of children (aged 0-17) at risk of poverty or social exclusion by highest education level of their parents (1997 ISCED 0-2, 3-4 and 5-6), 2013
% %
ISCED 0-2 ISCED 3-4 ISCED 5-6
% EU-28 BE BG CZ DK DE EE IE EL ES FR HR IT CY LV LT LU ISCED 0-2 62.2 62.1 88.3 84.9 54.7 71.9 57.3 66.4 68.9 56.7 63.9 77.6 52.6 58.1 69.8 87.4 50.7 ISCED 3-4 32.2 28.0 49.5 17.3 20.2 26.9 27.6 43.0 45.5 34.6 27.9 35.1 30.1 37.3 45.3 50.2 21.3 ISCED 5-6 10.5 8.4 16.9 3.0 5.3 8.9 11.4 18.9 16.7 14.3 7.7 7.7 9.5 13.2 18.4 12.9 8.5 HU MT NL AT PL PT RO SI SK FI SE UK CH IS LI NO TR ISCED 0-2 92.7 50.7 41.9 50.6 71.0 46.5 84.3 60.4 90.7 41.5 66.5 74.5 54.9 32.2 : 50.2 : ISCED 3-4 43.2 18.2 18.7 22.1 37.9 20.1 46.6 25.7 27.5 21.2 20.9 41.3 22.5 24.0 : 14.8 : ISCED 5-6 11.5 6.4 12.7 14.7 10.0 8.4 8.7 5.1 13.0 4.9 8.6 14.0 8.4 8.6 : 5.6 :
Source: Eurostat, EU-SILC [ilc_peps60] (data extracted June 2014). Explanatory notes
This indicator takes into account the percentage of children below the age of 18 who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion and whose parents' level of education is equivalent eitherto pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education (1997 ISCED levels 0-2) or to upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 1997 levels 3-4) or to first and second stage of tertiary education (ISCED 1997 levels 5-6).
The 'At risk of poverty or social exclusion' indicator refers to the situation of people either at risk of poverty, or severely materially deprived; or living in a household with a very low work intensity. For full definition of the 'At risk of poverty or social exclusion' indicator, see the Glossary.
Country specific notes
EU-28:Estimated.
Ireland, Croatia and Switzerland: Data from 2012.
On average, six out of ten children in the EU-28 Member States whose parents have a low level of education are at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and because of this might be at risk of educational disadvantage. The largest proportion of children under the age of 18 who are risk of poverty and social exclusion, and whose parents' level of education is low, live in central and eastern
European countries (except Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia). All these countries display percentages exceeding 75 %. This does not mean that children in these circumstances will necessarily leave education and training prematurely, however their socio-economic and family situation may well be a risk factor. Countries such as the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland and Iceland have rates below 50 %.
As a comparison, 32.2 % of children with parents who have ISCED 3-4 level of education are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, but only 10.5 % of children whose parents have reached ISCED 5-6. In all countries, the risk of poverty or social exclusion of children in this age group therefore decreases with a higher level of parental education.
There is a higher concentration of young people leaving education and training early in what is generally referred to as 'disadvantaged areas'. Living in a geographical area with high unemployment or in remote areas and small cities (as compared to living in medium-sized or large cities) increases the chance of becoming an early leaver (Eurofound, 2012). Dale (2009) put forward the same premise. He refers to the clustering of young people of certain family backgrounds and communities with particular patterns of occupation, migrant/minority origins, low levels of educational achievement and low income that produces a certain form of class and ethnic 'ghettoisation' with increased risk of and consequences for early leaving.
In Greece, ELET rates in lower secondary education (Gymnasio) are lower in urban areas than suburban and rural areas. Overall, the highest ELET rates (primary and secondary education) appear in regions with special socio-economic features, e.g. with large population groups that are more likely to present dropout incidents like Roma students, immigrant students, and students from rural areas (Rousseas and Vretakou/Hellenic Pedagogical Institute, 2006).
In France, as another example, wide differences in ELET rates exist not only between regions, but also within the same region. These differences reflect the territorial inequalities in living conditions, as measured by low family incomes and low levels of parental education, high levels of unemployment, as well as the proportion of families living in social housing, families with numerous children and single-parent families (Boudesseul et al., 2012).
In Malta, a research study confirms that early leaving could be a consequence of a number of diverse inter-related socio-economic inequalities concentrated in particular districts. These inequalities by themselves do not necessarily determine whether young individuals stay in or leave school early, however when correlated with each other they tend to render early leaving more likely (Gatt, 2012).