Educational inequalities and entrance to Greek higher education: Views of parents of high school graduates

This study aimed to explore the views of parents whose children sat for entrance exams to Greek higher education and to analyse how social inequalities affect their academic outcomes. Fifteen participants aged 40 to 59 years participated in the study. Purposive sampling was used to select parents whose children had taken entrance examinations within the past decade. A semi-structured interview was used to gather data. The findings demonstrated that the Greek school system does not function as an equaliser but rather as a mechanism for legitimising social inequality. School failure is neither random nor isolated; it reflects the unequal power relations embedded in the school field. The results suggest that the Greek educational system tends to perpetuate social inequalities through discriminatory access to resources (such as infrastructure and tutoring), symbolic violence, and institutional barriers (including limited infrastructure and geographical constraints).