A study by Lindsay Paterson, professor of education policy at Edinburgh University, finds that the socio-economic status of Catholics has risen, largely because of the success of denominational schools.
By comparing the progress of Catholics and Protestants born in 1937, 1947, 1957 and 1967, his study shows that while older Catholics tended to belong to a lower class than Protestants, there is no difference between the social status of younger people.
According to Paterson, the revolution in Catholics’ social status and employment prospects is due to faith schools, which were brought into the state sector in 1918.
He believes the strong ethical and moral code instilled in Catholic pupils has made them more ambitious and raised their educational attainment. There are currently more than 400 denominational schools in Scotland.
Paterson and his colleague, Dr Cristina Iannelli, examined the class, education and employment records of more than 9,000 households.
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While 54% of Catholics born between 1937 and 1946 left school with no qualifications, only 13% of those born between 1967 and 1976 did so. Among Protestants, the proportion has fallen far less markedly from 38% to 11%.
The study also reveals that the proportion of Catholics going on to higher education has risen from 15% to 39% over the same period. Among Protestants, the proportion rose from 16% to 36%.
Paterson says that the findings show that Scotland is not institutionally sectarian.