Class-based preschool enrolment - social stratification and quality differences in the Swedish preschool market

Abstract

In this article, we analyse overarching patterns of social stratification in, and quality differences between, Swedish preschools. Drawing on a Bourdieusian social classification scheme, we evidence in what type of preschools different social groups enrol their children in, and to what extent Swedish preschool children encounter different levels of quality at municipal, for-profit and non-profit providers in the preschool market. The analysis employs individual register data from Statistics Sweden covering all families in Swedish preschools for the year 2019. This comprises information on approximately 510 000 children and 122 000 unique families. We use descriptive statistics, looking at over- and under-representation in enrolment patterns of 38 social groups along with quality indicators of different providers in terms of preschool size, teacher and staff ratio and the level of teachers with Swedish background. Results from this total population analysis of Swedish preschool enrolment reveal indicators of particular class practices, where upper- and middle-class families are overrepresented in both for-profit and non-profit preschools in contrast to working-class families. Simultaneously, private providers may not always deliver high standards of structural quality, which clouds the image of how quality is viewed by parents in general, and by upper- and middle-class families in particular.