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social mobility
The term ‘social mobility’ refers to movement between different strata or layers in society. In industrialised societies, it refers to movement between social classes.
Social mobility can be upward or downward
In closed systems, an individual’s position is largely ascribed.
In open systems, status is achieved and the individual has some chance of changing their position.
types of social mobility
1. Intragenerational mobility refers to social mobility within a single generation.
2. Intergenerational mobility refers to social mobility between generations. It is measured by comparing the occupational status of sons or daughters with that of their fathers.
Sociologists distinguish between absolute and relative intergenerational mobility.
Absolute mobility refers to the total amount of social mobility in a society.
Relative mobility refers to the comparative chances of people from different class backgrounds reaching particular positions in the social structure.
Measuring social mobility
Sociologists often use occupation to measure mobility between different classes.
The Oxford Mobility Study (OMS), widely seen as a classic study of social mobility, was conducted in 1972 and published in 1980 (Goldthorpe, 1980).
The OMS is based on a seven-class scheme devised by John Goldthorpe. It produced data on the impact of the 1944 Education Act on educational achievement and social mobility.
The Oxford Mobility Study (OMS) found high rates of absolute mobility linked to changes in the occupational structure rather than to increased equality of opportunity.
Problems with the OMS
critics argue that the OMS ignores the existence of small elites or, in Marxist terms, a ruling class.
The OMS ignores women. It views the family as the unit of stratification in industrial societies. Feminist sociologists criticise such approaches as having a male bias and as telling us little about the social mobility experiences of women.
comparative studies of education and social mobility
An international comparison of mobility rates in European countries was published in 2004 by Richard Breen (discussed in Scott, 2005). This study examined how far class origins influenced educational success and how far occupations were determined by educational qualifications.
he Oxford Mobility Study (OMS) found high rates of absolute mobility linked to changes in the occupational structure rather than to increased equality of opportunity.
Functionalist accounts of social mobility
Functionalist accounts argue that, in response to the economic demands of industrial societies, social mobility and meritocracy will increase and the link between class origins and educational attainment will weaken over time.
Criticism of the functionalist approach
Critics argue that functionalism focuses on the needs and demands of society as a whole rather than on how individual social actors make sense of these needs
Brown argues that the relationship between educational attainment and class destination will weaken rather than strengthen. Job candidates with the relevant credentials are now excluded because they lack personal qualities that make up employability
neoliberal approaches to social mobility
New Right or neoliberal approaches focus on giving people from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to compete in the market with people from more privileged backgrounds
critics of neoliberal approaches
Critics argue that neoliberal approaches focus on absolute mobility, which can occur without reductions in inequalities in life chances. Brown argues that many families - both working-class and middle-class - experience social congestion rather than intergenerational mobility
Feminist approach to social mobility
Feminists are critical of the male bias involved in the practice of categorising women in social mobility studies according to the class of their male partners.
Quantitative studies of social mobility have tended to focus on social class rather than on gender (Abrantes and Abrantes, 201 A). However, evidence suggests that women’s chances of upward social mobility are more constrained than those of men.
Feminists argue that subject choice may impact negatively on females’ future career options, earnings from paid work and their social mobility chances.Contemporary
Contemporary issues gendered social mobilty across europe
Abrantes and Abrantes(2014) argue that the relationship between gender, education and intergenerational social mobility is not uniform across Europe.
Many sectors of labour markets (such as architecture, engineering, nursing and childcare) are segregated on gender lines. Male-dominated sectors (such as information technology) are often more highly paid than female-dominated ones (such as teaching), even when they require the same level of educational qualifications for entry. As a result, women may have less chance of experiencing income generational mobility than men
stratification system
The way a society is structured or divided into hierarchical strata or layers, with the most privileged group at the top and the least favoured at the bottom
