ABSTRACT
The second half of the twentieth century saw a steady increase in the aspirations of parents and their children in developed and, latterly, developing countries alike. These aspirations were fed and consolidated mid century through substantial economic development and a significant expansion of employment opportunities in business, government and, perhaps most of all, in transnational corporations. Many of these jobs demanded high-level skills that could only be produced through expanded secondary and then tertiary educational institutions. As the size of the middle class increased through access to mass education and employment growth, it appeared for a while that the demo - cratisation of education would lead to middle class jobs for everyone.
