Impediments to Pursuing Graduate Studies in South Africa: The Role of the Family, Social Class, and Race

Abstract

Increasing the number of graduate students has been identified as a priority for South African universities. Despite the shortage of graduate students in South Africa and the impetus to increase the number of graduate students, little is known about some of the impediments that undergraduate students, particularly Black students, face in pursuing graduate school. This paper critically examines the role of the family, social class, and race in considering the pursuit of graduate studies, from the perspective of students. The research adopts intersectionality as a theoretical framework and is based on focus group interviews with student participants. The findings indicate that race and social class must be understood as factors that operate concurrently and that participants’ educational plans are informed by the needs of their family and by raceclass factors. Socio-political and economic factors in South Africa are also discussed in relation to the family, class, race and the pursuit of graduate studies.