Computing educational equality: The role of familial circumstances in encouraging digital equality

Using data from the Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development Programme for International Student Assessment, as well as the "Canadian Longitudinal Youth in Transitions Survey", I analyze the relationship between family structure and the facilitation of computer access and use among 15-year old Canadian youth. Drawing on ideas of cultural reproduction within a knowledge-based economy, findings from this research show that a digital divide does exist among Canada's youth. While computers are argued to be ubiquitous in the lives of contemporary youth, daily access within family homes is more prominent among certain types of familial arrangements. Findings show that youth residing within stable households consistently have an educational advantage as they are able to gain access to necessary educational resources on a daily basis. With respect to single-parenting, mothers are more likely to invest in educational resources than fathers, despite the socio-economic position that Canadian society places single-mothers in.