Social Mobility & Meritocracy

Social Mobility: Refers to moving from one social class to another; includes chances of attaining different social positions.
- Upward Mobility: Moving to a higher social class.
- Downward Mobility: Moving to a lower social class.
- Inter-generational Mobility: Movement between generations (e.g., parent vs. adult child’s occupational position).
- Intra-generational Mobility: An individual’s mobility throughout their life, comparing starting occupation with retirement occupation.
Human Capital: The education, skills, and knowledge acquired by an individual that contributes to their ability to advance socially and economically.

Societies exhibiting social mobility are termed meritocracies.
- Functionalist View: Education serves as a bridge between the family and the economy and is crucial for social mobility.
- Claim: Social mobility is functionally necessary, as people must be allowed to move within the social structure based on individual merit.

The mass education system is essential in modern industrial societies for differentiation and to demonstrate individual differences objectively.
Social positions are filled based on knowledge and skills, facilitating upward mobility.

Schools can create inequalities of outcome through testing and examinations.
- Objective tests must provide equal opportunities for all.
- Role allocation system promotes those who are most intellectually able to top roles with high rewards.

Harris (2005): Social mobility arises from the encouragement of diverse roles that are essential and complex.
Davis and Moore (1948): Social mobility's inequalities ensure crucial positions are filled by qualified individuals.

The education systems may not be fully meritocratic; groups like the working class face systematic disadvantages.
- Paterson and Iannelli (2005): In Scotland, education often perpetuates middle-class advantages rather than enhancing social mobility.
- Bowles and Gintis: Introduced the concept of 'sponsored mobility' where upper and middle-class children benefit from cultural advantages.
- Breen (1997): Suggests real competition thrives mostly at lower social levels; higher levels exhibit social closure.

Social Closure: Related to social capital, characterised by connections in elite networks like private schools and prestigious universities.

Althusser: Education reproduces capitalist ideologies, teaching skills necessary only for the working class to function in their low-status roles.
Bowles and Gintis: Demonstrated how educational systems mirror workplace inequalities, acting as gatekeepers for societal roles.
Willis (Learning to Labour): Identified how working-class students may see through the education system and resist traditional expectations.