Main channels and consequences of the influence of war on educational inequality in society

A new, difficult and tragic research page is opening in domestic sociology – a detailed study of the effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war on all spheres of life of Ukrainian society, its social structure, institutional transformations, economic capabilities, political organization, as well as the daily life of citizens. An integral component of both the institutional structure of society and the everyday life of citizens is the sphere of education with its inherent and constantly reproduced educational inequality. A large-scale war has the potential to quickly and for a long period of time disrupt social order and change established patterns of social inequality in society, particularly in education, unevenly distributing stratified negative effects. With the beginning of large-scale hostilities, the educational infrastructure of Ukraine has suffered almost the greatest destruction since the Second World War. Schools and preschool education institutions have suffered the greatest damage and destruction. A large number of families with their children have been forced to move internally or externally, thus temporarily interrupting the opportunities for children’s education. The article summarizes the results of research in various countries that have experienced short or long-term periods of international or civil wars, which made it possible to identify the main channels of the war’s impact on educational inequality and the corresponding short- and long-term effects of the war. Seven main direct and indirect channels of the war’s impact on educational inequality have been identified, including the destruction of educational infrastructure; lack of teachers due to internal and external displacement, recruitment into the army or death; reduction of state expenditures on education; movement of a large number of adults and children; redistribution of power and wealth in society; the growth of poverty, the reassessment and change of priorities regarding education within the family; deterioration of children’s physical and mental health, malnutrition, stress, trauma, feeling of insecurity. Short- and longterm effects on the educational achievements of children are formed through channels of influence, which take the form of stratified educational losses, a decrease in family expenditures on education, as well as losses in the future lifetime income of individuals.