Privilege creation and attitudes towards wealth: mothers' and fathers' perceptions and beliefs of elite schools in Chile

This paper deals with the process of construction and reproduction of privilege as seen by elite members in Santiago de Chile. Based on 24 semi-structured interviews with school parents of five prestigious high-schools, we present three dimensions of privilege, which specify different attitudes towards wealth: reference to family history, taking advantage of opportunities, and an attitude of ease. Thus, we show the influence of privilege on school choice, though schools understand it in different ways. This paper asserts the importance of privilege creation as a crucial process to expand elite research and the ways inequality is reproduced.