Life trajectories and education in a welfare state were examined from two points of departure. The ways in which education as a system is related to social origin, gender, and career were analyzed in a longitudinal study following a cohort of 671 students (329 males and 342 females) in a Swedish community through the educational system and into…

The working of the educational system in a welfare state was examined in a longitudinal study of a cohort (initially 1,029) of students followed from age 7 to age 23 years. An initial sample included 329 males and 342 females, of whom 352 had working class careers and 319 had middle class careers. Relationships among social origin, gender, and…