Sociology Required Readings (Easley and Baker - Intergenerational mobility and racial inequality)

ch.7 + ch.10

What is intergenerational social mobility?

Intergenerational mobility refers to how a person's socioeconomic position compares to their parents' position.

Upward mobility

A person achieves a higher socioeconomic standing than their parents.

Downward mobility

A person achieves a lower socioeconomic standing than their parents

Immobility

A person remains at a similar socioeconomic level as their parents.

The problem with how social mobility is currently measured

The authors argue that many studies measure social mobility using only one aspect of socioeconomic status at a time, such as: Income, Education, Occupation, Wealth, Neighborhood

How social class and race affect mobility

The authors explain that Black Americans experience greater barriers to upward mobility than White Americans.

Why do these inequalities continue across generations?

The authors argue that socioeconomic factors influence and reinforce one another.

For example: A parent's education can influence their ability to help their children access opportunities.

These advantages or disadvantages can accumulate over generations.

What do the authors recommend?

Rather than measuring social mobility through one factor at a time, Easley and Baker recommend a holistic approach that considers five factors together: Education, Income, Occupation, Wealth, Neighborhood context

They recommend using a statistical method called structural equation modeling to combine these factors into an overall measure of socioeconomic background.