Generational inequality in higher education institutions as a sociological problem

Abstract

In the context of the problem of social inequality in higher education, the issue of generational inequality in university educational communities is considered. The prerequisites for this type of inequality may be increased generational differences and generational heterogeneity within the students, academic and administrative staff in the university, and triggers may be changes in institutional requirements for generational and age parameters. As a theoretical basis for the analysis of generational relations of educational communities, a system of interrelated concepts is proposed – generational differences, generational heterogeneity and generational inequality. Its ethical dimension is important for the study of social inequality in the university community; it determines the perception of generational inequality by university communities as fair or unfair. Based on the results of the author’s research on higher education, implemented within the framework of the generational approach in 2019 and 2025–2026, the differences and heterogeneity of the generational communities of students, scientific, pedagogical and administrative staff are considered. It has been established that generational diversity, which has a horizontal character, reflects the basic state of the generational structure of modern universities, however, signs of generational inequality began to appear in academic and administrative staff. Based on empirical data, it is shown that representatives of the university community perceive unequal access of different generations to organizational and institutional resources necessary for professional activity. The management assessment of the different significance of generations, inadequate to their contribution to the overall performance of the university, also acts as a marker of inequality. Ageism and its variant youngism are argued as a special manifestation of generational inequality. Most manifestations of generational inequality in higher education institutions are assessed by representatives of the university community as unfair and conditioned by institutional policies in higher education. The results of the study confirm the latentnature of generational inequality in educational communities. It has been established that, unlike foreign universities, for which the problem of generational inequality is also relevant, generational inequality is not typical for Russian students, whose generations are divided into different segments of higher education. In conclusion, it is proved that the generational inequality of educational communities represents a new, poorly developed subject area of the sociology of higher education and contributes to the generational research of Russian higher education.

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