Chapter 6: The Elephant in the Room: Equity, Social Class, and Mathematics

Unlike the United Kingdom where overt class distinctions have permeated public thinking and educational discourse, in Australia there is a considerable reluctance to consider issues of social class, however defined. In most presentations I undertake, I am at pains to articulate the importance of social class, and most particularly working-class, and the ways in which students are marginalized in the study of school mathematics as a consequence of their social background. While the term socioeconomic status (SES) does not appear to be as antagonistic, it fails to address the most salient aspect of social disadvantage—culture. I make a clear distinction between social class and SES since the former has strong links to culture, whereas SES is a statistical measure that has economy as a central construct. The latter denies the power of culture when considering choices and decisions made by people. I draw heavily from the work of French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu, to theorize social class.