SOCIAL MOBILITY
By social mobility is meant any transition from one
social position to another. Change in social position
involves generally significant change in life-chances
and life styles. The concept of social mobility is
classically defined by Pitirim A. Sorokin.
According to Sorokin, the shift of position may
be undertaken by an individual or social object or
value. That is to say, anything that has been created or
modified by human activity can experience social
mobility.
Any change of position in society or experienced by an individual or
a group has its impact not only on the individual or the group, but
also on the society at large. The gradation is normally done in terms
of power, prestige and privileges. That is to say, a hierarchical
structure then operates in such societies. This opens up the possibility
of sociological investigation of whether or how an individual or a
group gains or loses power, prestige and privileges in a society. In
other words, along the line of hierarchy whether one moves up or
falls down signifies change of social position i.e., social mobility.
Time taken to effect the change of social position may vary from
society to society.
It is quite obvious that a change of position may take place
either along a horizontal axis, or a vertical axis. So, the shift of
social position can also be analytically understand in terms of two
basic, viz, horizontal mobility and vertical mobility.
TYPES AND FORMS OF MOBILITY
Horizontal Mobility Vertical Mobility
Horizontal Mobility
Horizontal social mobility means movement by individuals or
groups from one position to another in society which does not
involve a shift into a higher or lower stratum. According to
Sorokin, horizontal social mobility means the transition of an
individual or social object from one social group to another
situated on the same level. For Example, transitions of
individuals from one factory to another in the same occupational
status.
Horizontal Mobility is a change in the position. It indicates a
change in position, within the range of the status. For example, an
engineer working in a factory may resign from his job and join
another factory as an engineer and may work in more or less the
same capacity. Similarly, a teacher may leave one school to join
another as a teacher.
Vertical Mobility refers to the movement of people of groups from
one status to another. It involves change in class, occupation of
power. For example, the movement of people from poor class to
middle class, from the occupation of the labourers to that of the
bank clerks, from the power position of opposition to that of the
ruling class.
Vertical Mobility
In sociological literature, most attention is given to vertical
mobility, simply put-an upward or downward change in the rank
of an individual or group. Examples of vertical social mobility-
are for too many. A promotion or demotion, a change in income,
marriage to a person of higher or lower status, a move to a better
or worse neighbourhood-all serve as examples of vertical
mobility. Essentially vertical mobility involves a movement
which ensures enhancing or lowering of rank. It is important to
remember that some movements may be bother horizontal and
vertical at the same time.
Classically P. Sorokin defines Vertical Social Mobility as the
relations involved in a transition of an individual (or a social
object) from one social stratum to another. According to the
direction of the transition there are two types of vertical social
mobility:
vertical social mobility
ascending or social climbing descending, or social sinking
Anthony Giddens refers to vertical mobility as movement up or
down the socio-economic scale. According to him, those who
gain in property, income or status are said to be upwardly
mobile, while those who move in the opposite direction are
downwardly mobile. Interestingly, Giddens comments that in
modem societies vertical and horizontal (lateral) mobility are
often combined. For instance, on individual working in a
company in one city might be promoted to higher position in a
branch of the firm located in another town, or even in a different
country.
Education and Social Mobility
• Education as a promoter of upward mobility
• Lack of Educational qualification restricts social mobility
• Education as a solvent of inequalities
• Education and internal and external constraints on Mobility
• Factors in individual personality.
