Social mobility - Our Society and Culture Forum

New User Joined: Nov 08, 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Europe

Social mobility is a sociological concept related to how people has (or not) the opportunity to change their social status during their lifetime.

In traditional societies (like medieval Europe or India's caste society) the chances for this to happen were quite limited. After the Age of Enlightment and American Revolution this landscape greatedly changed and more people could promote on a personal achivement basis, which was coherent with the raise of an utilitarian society, based on liberal principles. This trend increased with time, with more people getting white collar jobs, technology or market related, creating a wider middle-class, with the result of a "flatter" society in which social differences of status where more and more limited.

After 1970's and Oil Crises, this trend changed. During the last few decades the gap between lower and upper levels of Western societies have increased, giving an upper level which needs workers with a very high education, performing very specialized tasks, and very well paid; and an increasing lower level, with decreasing salaries, very basic skills needed and unstable employment. This situation is getting worse for lower levels of societies because of de-localization of production (which leads to unemployment) and economy globalization.

Is this a long-term situation which can lead us to a more unstable society or after some years working conditions and benefits will get more uniform along countries? Should Western World concentrate in R&D and high-end production and leave mass production to China or Third World countries?
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