socio‑cultural capital, work, young Polish, Czech generation

The article aims to analyse the accumulation of socio‑cultural capital such as the undertaking of gainful employment for young people during their studies. In the theoretical part of this article, I refer to the concept of cultural capital by Pierre Bourdieu and the social capital by J. Coleman. The Polish sociological literature concerning the socio‑ cultural capital will also be used. The analysis and conclusions will be presented on the basis of empirical research carried out among the students of the three universities in Poland in Katowice (Silesian University, University of Economics and Silesian University of Technology) and in Czech Republic in Olomouc and Ostrava (Palacky University., University of Ostrava and Technical University). A total of 800 surveys were completed using an auditorium questionnaire (400 in each country)52. The sociological analysis performed among Polish and Czechs students show an ambivalent value of the cumulative capital obtained during gainful employment. Similarities and differences between the Polish and Czech students will be shown, depending on the respondents’sex and field of study. A finally comparison between the students of both countries is presented stressing both the similarities and the differences in the accumulation of this type of capital.