Social Stratification Research – 4 generations 1 •Social stratification research (SSR) or social mobility research (SMR) has been established after 2WW •The aim was to map and compare social structures of advanced societies •SSR research is primary comparative and relational –why? •Nowadays we can distinguished 4 generations in SSR •Generations are delimited by –research problems –methods of data collection –measurement procedures/ technics –results –time periods (but with overlaps) •SSR is primarily quantitative – • Social mobility – key concept of SSR 2 •Sorokin’s book Social Mobility has been printed in 1927 •first using of the concept of social mobility –versus the intergenerational transmission of advantages (social/cultural reproduction) • •macro concept for social groups or higher aggregates •it is not about individuals •social stratification is not social mobility •social mobility define the openness of social stratification •different social mobility lifts – • • • Social mobility •Social mobility is the movement of people up or down the stratification system • •Class systems allow for more movement than slave or caste systems. • •Intragenerational and intergenerational social mobility. • •While class systems do allow for social mobility, opportunities are not evenly distributed across social groups. • •Social origin class/actual social class position have a significant impact on many aspects of life, including education, occupation, place of residence, marriage partner, and more • • 3 An important characteristic of class systems, as opposed to slave or caste systems, is that in class-based systems of stratification, there is the opportunity for social mobility. This means that people and groups can, potentially, move up or down in the rankings, and this is seen by many as a significant benefit of class systems. In reality, however, such mobility is less common than our national mythology suggests. Typically, those who arrive at high positions have families who either had high positions themselves or the resources to provide the appropriate education for advancement. Achieving upward mobility is very difficult, and the wonderful stories we’ve all heard and seen (think, for example, of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness) are so very moving because they are the exception, not the norm. If such stories were common, they would not get our attention in nearly the same way. Social mobility - politicians •“I want to see social mobility rising once again,” said prime minister Tony Blair in 2004 •“We can unleash the biggest wave of social mobility since the second world war,” said prime minister Gordon Brown in 2010. •“I want to see a more socially mobile Britain,” said David Cameron in 2013. •“I want Britain to be the world’s great meritocracy,” said Theresa May in 2016. First generation of SSR (I) 5 •1950 – 1960 time period •Research committee for social stratification and inequality (RC28) has been established under ISA •comparative research of social mobility •the aim is to map the openness of social structures •research question: how strong is OD connection? •simple social class categories (usually 3 categories) •simple statistical technics, proportions –OD mobility (contingency) tables •demonstration, percent, outflow, inflow percent –structural vs net mobility, defined in theoretical level, problems with identification in empirical analysis • • • First generation of SSR (II) 6 •key tested assumption: LZ hypothesis (Lipset, Zetterberg, 1956) • „…the overall pattern of social mobility appears to be much the same in the industrial societies of various Western countries.“ • •LZ hypothesis has been a reaction to the prevailing assumption that in US we can find more intergenerational mobility than in other western industrialized countries •LZ hypothesis has not been rejected •In all nations the same level of social mobility •LZ hypothesis says there is no linear relationship between industrialization and social mobility •The industrialization means the rise of social mobility •But only under certain level •After that higher industrialization does not mean higher social mobility • • • • • First generation of SSR (III) 7 •Important research questions in first generation: • •Association between social mobility and economic development? •Association between social mobility and political stability? •Association between social mobility and political/voting behavior? •Association between social mobility and fertility •Extent of assortative mating by social origin and education? • •What is effect of education in social mobility process? – – – • • • Second generation of SSR (I) 8 •1960 – 1970 time period •change from comparative social mobility research to status attainment process in a society •turn to the continuous variables, SEI scores for occupations •the aim is to map the social determinants of occupational status •reformulation of research question •How much is social mobility? (first generation) •Now: how O influences D directly and also indirectly via other variables, especially via E •introduction of path models in sociology •result: status attainment model or „social mobility piggy“ • • • • Second generation of SSR (II) 9 •representatives are Petr Blau, Otis Dudley Duncan: American Occupational Structure (1967) •no difference between inter- and intra-generational mobility •only one social „change“ between O and D but O is starting position, no characteristic of parents •tested assumption: industrialization promotes achievement and reduces ascription, the importance of E increases in time •Results: Yes - the effect of E is stronger than O and influences D with higher intensity, American society is meritocratic society •Change in time by birth cohort comparison and no clear trend •robust results but without comparative potency •no social class divisions in this approach •original concept of social mobility disappeared • • • • Third generation of SSR (I) 11 •SEI or later ISEI has not theoretical justification, it is result of empirical analysis (c.f. Ganzeboom construction of ISEI) •SEI or ISEI means reduction of occupation into contextual variables that are income and education •third generation means comeback to social classes and original concept of social mobility but with proper statistical technics •1970 – 1980 time period •EGP social class scheme, later ESeC (ESeG) •division between structural and net mobility – wrong distinction •replace these concept by absolute and relative mobility •absolute mobility indicated by percent •relative mobility indicated by odds ratios (OR), log-linear models • • • • Third generation of SSR (II) 12 •key tested assumption: FJH hypothesis (Featherman, Jones, Hauser, 1975), the same hypothesis like LZ hypothesis, but in relative terms • „…there exists a cross-national similarity of social mobility rates at the level of underlying relative mobility chances, such that in all societies having a nuclear family system and market economy, the mobility pattern will be ‘basically the same.“ • •key test/book: Robert Erikson, John Goldthorpe: The Constant Flux: A Study of Class Mobility in Industrial Society (1992) •test of LTI vs FJH: opening vs no change •results support FJH hypothesis: no change/ but difference among countries • • • • Fourth generation of SSR (I) 13 •from 1990 up to now •the fourth generation is defined by turn to substantive questions in SSR •no statistical development any more •statistical measures are very sophisticated in contemporary SSR •connection of research questions and explanations of the second generation and statistical measures of the third generation •substantive research question •key O-E-D triangle •O-E: social stratification in education •E-D: from education to labour market positions •O-D: social mobility research •key question: the effect of ascription in life results • • • • • • • References •https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Social-Mobility-in-the-EU-Eurofound/d5ffb26505120f981e1f3f3b c25420a1ba24b2d4 •https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266209078_Demographic_Standards_for_Surveys_and_Polls_in_ Germany_and_Poland_National_and_European_Dimension/figures?lo=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organi c •https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-social-mobility-of-82-countries/ •