Educational qualification is an example of which kind of capital?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → Cultural Capital

Option (1) Cultural Capital — Correct. The valued resources of a society can be divided into three forms of capital (Bourdieu). Cultural capital is capital such as educational qualifications and status: a degree is a resource that brings respect and better jobs.

Option (2) Economic Capital — Incorrect. Economic capital is capital in the form of material assets and income. The two are linked, since a well-off family can afford expensive higher education and so acquire cultural or educational capital, but the qualification itself is not money or property.

Option (3) Political Capital — Incorrect. Political capital usually means the trust, goodwill and influence that a leader or a party builds up in public life. It is not one of the three forms of capital (economic, cultural and social), and a degree is not influence in politics.

Option (4) Moral Capital — Incorrect. Moral capital means the respect a person or group earns by being seen as honest or principled. It rests on reputation for conduct, not on a certificate of education.

Note: The concepts in Option (3), ‘Political Capital’, and Option (4), ‘Moral Capital’, are not in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.

NCERT (2025-26): “Social Inequality … In every society, some people have a greater share of valued resources – money, property, education, health, and power – than others. These social resources can be divided into three forms of capital – economic capital in the form of material assets and income; cultural capital such as educational qualifications and status; and social capital in the form of networks of contacts and social associations (Bourdieu 1986). Often, these three forms of capital overlap and one can be converted into the other. For example, a person from a well-off family (economic capital) can afford expensive higher education, and so can acquire cultural or educational capital. Someone with influential relatives and friends (social capital) may – through access to good advice, recommendations or information – manage to get a well-paid job.…”