Social mobility is the author of the term. Vertical and horizontal social mobility

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Thanks to social mobility, members of society can change their status within society. This phenomenon has many features and characteristics. The nature of social mobility varies depending on the characteristics of a particular country.

The concept of social mobility

What is social mobility? This is a change by a person of his place in the structure of society. An individual can move from one social group to another. Such mobility is called vertical. At the same time, a person can change his position within the same social stratum. This is another mobility – horizontal. Moving takes the most different forms- increase or decrease in prestige, change in income, career advancement. Such events have a serious impact on a person's behavior, as well as his relationships with others, attitudes and interests.

The types of mobility described above modern forms after the emergence of industrial society. Opportunity to change one's position in society important feature progress. The opposite case is represented by conservative and estate societies where castes exist. As a rule, a person is assigned to such a group from his very birth until his death. The Indian caste system is best known. With reservations, similar orders existed in the medieval feudal Europe where there was a great social gap between the poor and the rich.

The history of the phenomenon

The emergence of vertical mobility became possible after the start of industrialization. About three hundred years ago, the industrial development of European countries accelerated significantly, which led to the growth of the proletarian class. At the same time, states around the world (with varying degrees of success) began to introduce a system of accessible education. It has become and still is the main channel of vertical social mobility.

At the beginning of the 20th century most The population of any country was made up of unskilled workers (or with the beginnings of a general education). At the same time, mechanization and automation of production took place. The new type of economy demanded more and more highly qualified personnel. It is this need that explains the increase in the number of educational institutions and thus opportunities for social growth.

Mobility and economy

One of the features of an industrial society is that mobility in it is determined by the structure of the economy. In other words, the possibilities for climbing the social ladder depend not only on the personal qualities of a person (his professionalism, energy, etc.), but also on how the different sectors of the country's economy are interconnected.

Mobility is not possible everywhere. It is an attribute of a society that has given its citizens equal opportunities. And although there are no absolutely equal conditions in any country, many modern states continue to move towards this ideal.

Individual and group mobility

In each country, the types and types of mobility are presented differently. Society can selectively raise some individuals up the social ladder and lower others. This is a natural process. For example, talented and professional people should definitely replace the mediocre ones and get their high status. Rise can be individual and group. These types of mobility differ in the number of individuals changing their status.

In an individual case, a person can increase his prestige in society due to his talents and hard work (for example, become a famous musician or receive a prestigious education). Group mobility is associated with much more complex processes covering a significant part of the society. A striking example of such a phenomenon can be changes in the prestige of the profession of engineers or a fall in the popularity of the party, which will necessarily affect the position of the members of this organization.

Infiltration

In order to achieve a change in his position in society, the individual must make certain efforts. Vertical mobility becomes possible only if a person is able to overcome all the barriers that lie between different social strata. As a rule, climbing the social ladder is due to the ambitions and need of the individual for own success. Any kind of mobility is necessarily associated with the vigor of a person and his desire to change his status.

The infiltration that exists in every society weeds out people who have made insufficient efforts to change the social stratum. The German scientist Kurt Lewin even came up with his own formula, which can be used to determine the probability of climbing. specific person in the social hierarchy. In the theory of this psychologist and sociologist, the most important variable is the energy of the individual. Vertical mobility also depends on the social conditions in which a person lives. If he meets all the requirements of society, then he will be able to undergo infiltration.

The inevitability of mobility

There are at least two reasons for the existence of the phenomenon of social mobility. First, any society invariably changes in the course of its historical development. New features may appear gradually, or they may appear instantly, as happens in the case of revolutions. One way or another, but in any society, new statuses undermine and replace the old ones. This process is accompanied by changes in the distribution of labor, benefits and responsibilities.

Secondly, even in the most inert and stagnant societies, no power can control the natural distribution of abilities and talents. This principle continues to operate even if the elite or the authorities have monopolized and limited the accessibility of education. Therefore, there is always a possibility that the top layer will be at least periodically replenished with worthy people “from below”.

Mobility across generations

Researchers identify another feature by which social mobility is determined. Generation can serve as this measure. What explains this pattern? The history of the development of various societies shows that the situation of people different generations(for example, children and parents) not only can differ, but, as a rule, is different. Data from Russia supports this theory. On average, with each new generation, residents former USSR and the Russian Federation gradually rose and climb up the social ladder. This pattern also takes place in many other modern countries.

Thus, when listing the types of mobility, one should not forget about intergenerational mobility, an example of which is described above. In order to determine progress on this scale, it is enough to compare the position of two people at a certain point in their career development at approximately the same age. Meril in this case is the rank in the profession. If, for example, a father at the age of 40 was a shop manager, and a son at that age became a factory director, then this is intergenerational growth.

Factors

Slow and gradual mobility can have many factors. An important example in this series is the migration of people from rural areas to cities. International migration has played a serious role in the history of all mankind, especially since the 19th century, when it swept the whole world.

It was in this century that huge masses of the peasant population of Europe moved to the United States. You can also give an example of the colonial expansion of some empires of the Old World. The capture of new territories and the subjugation of entire nations were fertile ground for the rise of some people and the slide down the social ladder of others.

Effects

If lateral mobility mostly affects only a particular individual or group of people, then vertical mobility entails much larger consequences that are difficult to measure. There are two opposing points of view on this.

The first says that any examples of mobility in the vertical direction destroy the class structure of society and make it more homogeneous. This theory has both supporters and opponents. On the other hand, there is a point of view according to which, high level social mobility only strengthens the system of social strata. This happens for the simple reason that people who find themselves on a higher rung of their position become interested in maintaining class differences and contradictions.

Speed

According to sociological science, the main types of social mobility have an indicator of their own speed. With its help, experts give a quantitative assessment of this phenomenon in each case. Speed ​​is the distance that an individual travels in a certain period of time. It is measured in professional, political or economic strata.

For example, one university graduate managed to become the head of a department at his enterprise in four years of his career. At the same time, his classmate, who graduated with him, became an engineer by the end of the same term. In this case, the speed of social mobility of the first graduate is higher than that of his friend. This indicator can be influenced by a variety of factors - personal aspiration, the qualities of a person, as well as his environment and circumstances associated with working in a company. The high rate of social mobility can also be inherent in processes opposite to those described above, if we are talking about a person who has lost his job.

Intensity

Considering 2 types of mobility (horizontal and vertical), one can determine the number of individuals who change their position in society. AT different countries this indicator gives different figures from each other. The larger the number of these people, the higher the intensity of social mobility. Like speed, this indicator demonstrates the nature internal transformations in society.

If we are talking about the actual number of individuals, then the absolute intensity is determined. In addition, it can also be relative. This is the name of the intensity, determined by the proportion of individuals who have changed their position, from total number members of society. modern science gives different estimates of the importance of this indicator. The combination of the intensity and speed of social mobility determines the overall mobility index. With it, scientists can easily compare the state of different societies.

The future of mobility

Today, in Western and economically developed societies, horizontal mobility is gaining significant proportions. This is due to the fact that in such countries (for example, in Western Europe and the United States) society is becoming more and more classless. The differences between layers are blurred. This is facilitated by a developed system of accessible education. In rich countries, anyone can learn, regardless of their background. the only important criterion becomes his interest, talent and ability to acquire new knowledge.

There is another reason why the former social mobility is no longer relevant in the modern post-industrial society. Moving up becomes more and more conditional if income is taken as the determining factor and financial well-being. Today, a stable and prosperous society can introduce social benefits(as is done in the Scandinavian countries). They smooth out contradictions between people on different rungs of the social ladder. So the boundaries between the usual classes are erased.

social mobility.

concept ʼʼsocial mobilityʼʼ introduced into scientific sociological circulation P. Sorokin. He believed that society is a huge social space in which people move both physically, really, and conditionally, in the opinion of others and their own. Sorokin introduced the concept of ʼʼsocial spaceʼʼ and put into it a different meaning than it was before - the totality of all members of society as a whole. In this society, where people are not equal, they occupy different places in the ideas and opinions of others.

Some of them are high, others are lower in the social space. Social space, according to Sorokin, is an abstract, conditional space where people and entire groups of people occupy one place or another in social representations.

social mobility- ϶ᴛᴏ change by an individual or group of their position in the social space. According to the directions of social movements, there are vertical and horizontal social mobility.

Vertical mobility means such social movement, ĸᴏᴛᴏᴩᴏᴇ accompanied by an increase or decrease in social status.

At the same time, the transition to a higher social position is usually called upward mobility, and to the lower one by downward mobility.

Horizontal mobility involves social movement that is not associated with a change in social status, for example, moving to another place of work in the same position, a change of residence.

In accordance with the change by the social subject of his position in society, they distinguish between individual, characteristic of a steadily developing society, and group mobility, associated with a radical movement in society, when the status of entire social groups and classes changes.

In sociology, intergenerational and intragenerational mobility are also distinguished.

The first involves a comparative change in social status among different generations, for example, the son of a worker becomes the president of the country, the second is a change in status within one generation.

To quantify the processes of social mobility, indicators of its speed and intensity are usually used. Mobility rate can be thought of as the vertical social distance that an individual travels in a given period of time. The intensity of mobility is commonly understood as the number of individuals who change social positions in a vertical or horizontal direction over a certain period of time.

Social mobility is an important indicator and characteristic for any society, which reveals the degree of its openness.

In an open society, achieved status is highly valued and there are relatively wide opportunities for transition from one social group to another. closed society prefers the prescribed status and makes it difficult to move from one layer to another.

Modern society assumes a mobile system of stratification and is characterized by high rates of social mobility.

This is primarily due to the needs of socio-economic and scientific and technological development, with the utmost importance of a constant influx of highly educated specialists and professionals to key social positions who are able to generate ideas and solve problems. challenging tasks management of social processes.

The possibilities of social mobility depend both on the socio-political and economic organization of society, and on the individual himself, his abilities and personal qualities. Ways to overcome barriers in the process of social movement are called channels of social mobility.

The main ones are education, advanced training, political career, military service, a change in the social environment, marriage with a representative of a higher status group, etc.

Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, social mobility factors can be distinguished, which are classified into two levels: micro level and macro level. At the micro level, there are such factors of social mobility as directly social environment individual, as well as his total life resource.

Macro-level factors include the state of the economy, the level of scientific and technological development, the nature of the political regime, the prevailing system of stratification, the nature of natural conditions, etc.

24. Sorokin P. A. Theory of social stratification and social mobility. Developed the theory of social stratification and social mobility in his theory, he explained that any society is not homogeneous, the layers that make it up are determined by a number of positions: property inequality, educational inequality. In the theory of social Mobility, he explained how moving from one layer to another occurs.

The term stratification comes from the word strata - meaning layer. The term stratification is commonly understood as the following: there are social inequalities of people in society, ᴛ.ᴇ. inequality in their social position relative to each other. Simply put, in society, some people occupy a higher position than others, and this is unmistakably determined and felt by everyone. There are several reasons for this disparity. One of the first to address this problem was P.A. Sorokin. He believed that wealth, the amount of wealth, education, occupation, party affiliation, etc., are such a basis for inequality.
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In Sorokin's sociology, the traditional principle of stratification was more typical (until the last decade). It is based on the theory of classes, large groups of people, the main basis in the differences in social. the provisions of which are income and occupation and 2-3 more that are complementary.
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Separate strata: owners of capital, workers, officials, peasants, freelancers (actors, artists). The Western concept of social stratification of the 20th century is based on the principles of universal social stratification and inequality, which have: a natural (biological, physical and mental) feature of people; social (division of labor, income, power, property, way of life, status-role positions) nature. And the social structure is interpreted as a set of hierarchical interconnected social groups, which are characterized by vertical and horizontal decency: they occupy different positions in the system. social inequality this society on the main social criteria(power, income, prestige, property); they are interconnected by economic, political and cultural relations; they are the subjects of the functioning of all social institutions of a given society and, above all, economic ones. In Soviet sociology, instead of the term stratification, the term class structure of society was used, where, in relation to Soviet society, a class of workers, peasants and a layer of intelligentsia were singled out. It was believed that the intelligentsia did not have their own special relationship to property that was different from others. She works either at state-owned enterprises as workers or on collective farms as peasants. There was no third grade. Social mobility- this is a movement in a social position, a change in the status of people that occurs constantly in society. Sorokin pointed out the main channels (elevators) through which people change their position - mainly through education, the army, the church, business. Sorokin made the greatest contribution to research, he believed that society was a huge social. a space in which people move both physically, really, and conditionally in the opinion of others and their own. To fix movements, he introduced a number of concepts related to sociology by a scale: vertical and horizontal mobility (horizontal - movement without a change in status, vertical - with a change in status); individual and group mobility (group mobility occurs when the position in society changes in the whole group, ᴛ.ᴇ. its assessment by society changes. In the 60s, the authority of physicists increased; upward and downward dynamics. Rising when they increase their status, downward - reduce (after the revolution, downward dynamics was characteristic of the nobles, ascending - for workers and peasants.) Sorokin came to the conclusion that social mobility is a positive phenomenon and is characteristic of democratic, dynamic societies. An exception is the situation when the whole society is in a state of dynamic movement, sharp mobility. This means crisis, instability, undesirable mobility for society, but the other extreme is the opposite situation - no mobility, stagnation, which is characteristic of totalitarian societies. 25.Social structure of modern Russian society

In the process of developing democratic and market reforms, the social structure of Russian society has undergone a significant transformation. Today there are several models of the social structure of Russian society. Let's consider some of them.

Domestic sociologist N. M. Rimashevskaya identifies the following elements in the social structure of Russian society:

1) ʼʼall-Russian elite groupsʼʼ, combining the possession of property in amounts comparable to the largest Western fortunes, and means of power influence at the all-Russian level;

2) ʼʼregional and corporate elitesʼʼ, which have a significant fortune in Russia, as well as influence at the level of regions and sectors of the economy;

3) the Russian ʼʼupper middle classʼʼ, which has property and incomes that provide it with Western standards of consumption, claims to improve its social status and is guided by established practice and ethical standards economic relations;

4) the Russian ʼʼdynamic middle classʼʼ, which has incomes that ensure the satisfaction of average Russian and higher standards of consumption, a relatively high potential adaptability, significant social claims and motivations, social activity and an orientation towards legal ways of its manifestation;

5) ʼʼoutsidersʼʼ, characterized by low adaptation and social activity, low incomes and orientation towards legal ways of their acquisition;

6) ʼʼmarginalsʼʼ, characterized by low adaptation and antisocial attitudes in their socio-economic activities;

7) ʼʼcriminalityʼʼ, possessing high social activity and adaptation, but at the same time acting quite rationally contrary to the legal norms of economic activity.

Scientist A. V. Dmitrov, taking as a basis for structuring three features (income, level of education and prestige), he singled out five basic social groups included in social structure modern Russian society:

1) the administrative elite (ruling elite), consisting of the old party nomenklatura of the first and second echelons, as well as the new political elite;

2) the working class, which, in turn, is divided according to sectoral and qualification characteristics;

3) intelligentsia;

4) ʼʼnew bourgeoisieʼʼ, which is made up of entrepreneurs and bankers;

5) the peasantry.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences T. N. Zaslavskaya based on a specific database sociological research tried to identify the main social groups that make up the structure of Russian society, and determine their percentage. The most privileged, but the smallest (7%) is the ʼʼupper layerʼʼ. He, according to T. N. Zaslavskaya, is a real subject of reforms, since he includes elite and sub-elite groups that occupy an important place in the system government controlled, as well as in economic and power structures.

At the same time, the directly ruling political and economic elite makes up only 0.5%, and the rest (6.5%) is accounted for by large and medium-sized entrepreneurs, directors of large and medium-sized privatized enterprises.

Following the top is ʼʼmiddle layerʼʼ. It is more numerous (20%) and includes small entrepreneurs, managers of medium and small enterprises, the middle link of the bureaucracy, officers, the most qualified specialists and workers.

The most numerous is ʼʼ base layerʼʼ . The main part of it is made up of such groups as the intelligentsia (specialists), semi-intelligentsia (assistant specialists), employees from the technical staff, workers of mass professions in the field of trade and services, as well as workers.

This layer unites about 60% of the population of our country. Moreover, according to Zaslavskaya, the inability to realize their vital important goals pushes the representatives of this layer to express mass protest.

Followed by the base bottom layer. It is represented by low-skilled and unskilled workers, the unemployed, refugees, etc.

It is worth saying that they are characterized by low activity potential, inability to adapt to social conditions, their specific gravity in the structure of the population - 8%.

Last layer in the classification of Zaslavskaya was called ʼʼsocial bottomʼʼ and amounted to 5%.

It includes criminal and semi-criminal elements, as well as individuals with an antisocial type of behavior (drug addicts, alcoholics, vagrants, etc.).

It should be noted that this structural model was proposed on the basis of a study of only the employed population, in connection with this, the occupancy of the above layers can be refined and changed taking into account family status, a significant proportion of pensioners and disabled people, and non-working youth.

social mobility. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Social mobility." 2017, 2018.

The concept of social mobility means the movement of individuals (sometimes groups) between various positions in the hierarchy of social stratification associated with a change in their status.

According to the definition of P. Sorokin, “social mobility is understood as any transition of an individual ... from one social position to another.” There are two main types of social mobility - intergenerational and intragenerational, as well as two main types - vertical and horizontal. They, in turn, fall into subspecies and subtypes that are closely related to each other.

Intergenerational mobility assumes that children reach the highest social position or fall to a lower position than their parents. Example: A worker's son becomes a professor.

Intragenerational mobility takes place where the same individual changes social positions several times throughout his life. Otherwise, it is called a social career. Example: a turner becomes an engineer, and then a shop manager, a factory director, a minister.

Vertical mobility implies a movement from one stratum (estate, class, caste) to another.

Depending on the direction of movement, there is upward mobility (social ascent) and downward mobility (social descent, downward movement).

Promotion is an example of upward mobility, demolition is downward mobility.

Horizontal mobility implies the transition of an individual from one social group to another, located at the same level.

An example is the movement of one work collective to another, from one citizenship to another, from one family (parental) to another (one's own, newly formed), from one profession to another. Such movements occur without a noticeable change in social position in the vertical direction.

44. Social mobility in an open and closed society.

In traditional society, the number of high-status positions remained approximately constant, so there was a moderate downward mobility of offspring from high-status families. Feudal society is characterized by a very small number of vacancies in high positions for those who had a low status.

Industrial society expanded the range of mobility. It is characterized by a much larger number of different statuses. The first decisive factor in social mobility is the level of economic development. During periods of economic depression, the number of high-status positions decreases, while low-status positions expand, so downward mobility dominates. It intensifies in those periods when people lose their jobs and at the same time new layers enter the labor market. On the contrary, during periods of active economic development, many new high-status positions appear. The increased demand for workers to occupy them is the main cause of upward mobility.

In an industrial society, which sociologists refer to as a type of open society, individual merits and achieved status are valued first of all. In such a society, the level of social mobility is quite high.

Sociologists also note the following pattern: the wider the opportunities for moving up, the stronger people believe in the availability of vertical mobility channels for them, and the more they believe in this, the more they strive to move forward, i.e. the higher the level of social mobility in society. And, conversely, in a class society, people do not believe in the ability to change their status without having wealth, pedigree or the patronage of the monarch.

Social mobility is a change by an individual or group of their social position in social space. The concept was introduced into scientific circulation by P. Sorokin in 1927. He singled out two main types of mobility: horizontal and vertical.

Vertical mobility implies a set of social movements, which is accompanied by an increase or decrease in the social status of an individual. Depending on the direction of movement, there are ascending vertical mobility (social uplift) and downward mobility(social decline).

Horizontal mobility- this is the transition of an individual from one social position to another, which is at the same level. An example is the movement from one citizenship to another, from one profession to another, which has a similar status in society. Mobility is often referred to as horizontal mobility. geographical, which implies moving from one place to another while maintaining the existing status (moving to another place of residence, tourism, etc.). If social status changes when moving, then geographic mobility turns into migration.

There are the following types of migration on:

  • character - labor and political reasons:
  • duration - temporary (seasonal) and permanent;
  • territories - domestic and international:
  • status - legal and illegal.

By types of mobility sociologists distinguish between intergenerational and intragenerational. Intergenerational mobility suggests the nature of changes in social status between generations and allows you to determine how much children rise or, conversely, fall on the social ladder compared to their parents. Intragenerational mobility associated with social career,, which means a change in status within one generation.

In accordance with the change by the individual of his social position in society, they distinguish two forms of mobility: group and individual. group mobility takes place in the case when movements are made collectively, and entire classes, social strata change their status. Most often this happens during periods of dramatic changes in society, such as social revolutions, civil or interstate wars, military coups, changes political regimes etc. Individual mobility means the social movement of a particular person and is associated primarily with the achieved statuses, while the group - with the prescribed, ascriptive.

Can speak: school, education in general, family, professional organizations, army, political parties and organizations, church. These social institutions serve as mechanisms for the selection and selection of individuals, placing them in the desired social stratum. Certainly in modern society education is of particular importance, the institutions of which perform the function of a kind of "social lift" providing vertical mobility. Moreover, in the context of the transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial (information) one, where the decisive factor of economic and social development become scientific knowledge and information, the role of education is growing significantly (Appendix, scheme 20).

At the same time, it should be noted that the processes of social mobility can be accompanied by the marginalization and lumpenization of society. Under marginality refers to an intermediate, “borderline” state of a social subject. Marginal(from lat. marginalis- on the edge) while moving from one social group to another, retains the old system of values, connections, habits and cannot learn new ones (migrants, unemployed). On the whole, marginal people seem to lose their social identity and therefore experience great psychological stress. lumpen(from him. Lumpen- rags), trying in the process of social mobility to move from the old group to the new one, finds himself outside the group altogether, breaks social connections and over time loses the basic human qualities - the ability to work and the need for it (beggars, homeless, declassed elements). It should be noted that at present the processes of marginalization and lumpenization have become noticeably widespread in Russian society, and this can lead to its destabilization.

To quantify the processes of social mobility, indicators of the speed and intensity of mobility are usually used. P. Sorokin defined the rate of mobility as a vertical social distance or the number of economic strata. professional, political, which the individual goes through in his movement up or down for a certain period of time. The intensity of mobility is understood as the number of individuals changing their positions in the vertical or horizontal direction in a certain period of time. The number of such individuals in any social community gives the absolute intensity of mobility, and their share in the total number of a given social community shows relative mobility.

Combining the indicators of speed and intensity of mobility, we get aggregate mobility index, which can be calculated for the economic, professional or political field of activity. It also allows the identification and comparison of mobility processes occurring in different societies. Thus, the processes of social mobility can take various forms and even contradictory. But at the same time, for a complex society, the free movement of individuals in social space is the only way of development, otherwise it can be expected by social tension and conflicts in all spheres of public life. Generally social mobility is an important tool for analyzing the dynamics of society, changing its social parameters.

II. The concept of social mobility. Intragenerational and intergenerational mobility.

social mobility- this is a set of social movements of people within the framework of the stratification of society, that is, a change in their social position, status. People move up and down the social hierarchy, sometimes in groups, less often in entire strata and classes.

According to the fluctuation theory of Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin (1889 - 1968), social mobility- this is the movement of individuals within the social space, which represents a certain universe, consisting of the population of the earth.

P. Sorokin distinguishes three forms of social stratification: economic, political and professional.

social stratification- this is the differentiation of a given set of people (population) into classes in a hierarchical rank. Its basis is the uneven distribution of rights and privileges, responsibilities and duties, power and influence. The totality of groups included in the social universe, as well as the totality of relations within each of them, constitute a system of social coordinates that makes it possible to determine the social position of any individual. Like geometric space, social space has several axes of measurement, the main ones being vertical and horizontal.

Horizontal mobility- the transition from one social group to another, located at the same level of stratification.

Vertical mobility- the transition from one stratum to another, located on different levels hierarchy. There are two types of such mobility: ascending- moving up the social ladder and descending- move down.

Main characteristics of social mobility

1. Social mobility is measured using two main indicators:

Mobility Distance- this is the number of steps that individuals managed to climb or had to go down.

The normal distance is considered to be moving one or two steps up or down. Most social transitions happen this way.

Abnormal distance - an unexpected rise to the top of the social ladder or fall to its bottom.

Scope of mobility- this is the number of individuals who have moved up the social ladder in a vertical direction in a certain period of time. If the volume is calculated by the number of moved individuals, then it is called absolute and if the ratio of this number to the entire population, then relative and is indicated as a percentage. The total volume or scale of mobility, determines the number of movements over all strata together, and differentiated- by separate strata, layers, classes. For example, in an industrial society, 2/3 of the population is mobile - this fact refers to the total volume, and 37% of the children of workers who have become employees, to the differentiated volume.

The scale of social mobility is also defined as the percentage of those who have changed, in comparison with their fathers, their social status.

2. The change in mobility for individual layers is also described by two indicators:

The first one is to exit mobility coefficient from the social stratum. It shows, for example, how many sons of skilled workers became intellectuals or peasants.

Second entry mobility factor into the social stratum, it indicates from which strata this or that stratum is replenished. It reveals the social origin of people.

3. Mobility assessment criteria

When studying social mobility, sociologists pay attention to the following points:

Number and size of classes and status groups;

The amount of mobility of individuals and families from one group to another;

Degree of differentiation social strata by types of behavior (lifestyle) and the level of class consciousness;

The type or amount of property owned by a person, occupation, as well as the values ​​that determine one or another status;

Distribution of power between classes and status groups.

Of the listed criteria, two are especially important: the amount (or amount) of mobility and the differentiation of status groups. They are used to distinguish one type of stratification from another.

4. Classification of social mobility

There are main and non-main types, types, forms of mobility.

Main species characterize all or most societies in any historical epoch. Of course, the intensity or volume of mobility is not the same everywhere. Non-main types of mobility are inherent in some types of society and are not inherent in others.

Social mobility can be classified according to different criteria. So, for example, one distinguishes individual mobility when moving down, up or horizontally occurs for each person independently of others, and group mobility, when movements occur collectively, for example, after social revolution old class cedes its dominant positions to a new class. Group mobility occurs where and when the social significance of an entire class, estate, caste, rank, or category rises or falls. Mobile individuals begin socialization in one class and end in another.

In addition to them, sometimes they distinguish organized mobility , when the movement of a person or entire groups up, down or horizontally is controlled by the state: a) with the consent of the people themselves, b) without their consent. Voluntary organized mobility should include the so-called socialist organization set, public appeals for Komsomol construction projects, etc. Involuntary organized mobility includes repatriation(resettlement) of small peoples and dispossession during the years of Stalinism.

It is necessary to distinguish from organized mobility structural mobility. It is caused by changes in the structure National economy and occurs beyond the will and consciousness of individual individuals. For example, the disappearance or reduction of industries or professions leads to the displacement of large masses of people.

There are two main kind social mobility intergenerational and intragenerational and two main type- vertical and horizontal. They, in turn, fall into subspecies and subtypes that are closely related to each other.

Intergenerational and intragenerational mobility

Generation is a concept denoting various aspects of the kinship and age structures of the historical development of society. The theory of age stratification of society allows us to consider society as a set of age groups, and thus reflect age-related differences in abilities, role functions, rights and privileges. Mobility practically does not occur in the demographic sphere: moving from one age to another does not belong to the phenomenon of intergenerational mobility.

Intergenerational mobility implies that children reach a higher social position or fall to a lower level than their parents. Intergenerational mobility is a change in the position of sons relative to their fathers. For example, the son of a plumber becomes president of a corporation, or vice versa. Intergenerational mobility is the most an important form social mobility. Its scale indicates to what extent in this society inequality passes from one generation to the next.

If intergenerational mobility is low, then this means that inequality has taken root in this society, and a person’s chances to change his fate do not depend on himself, but are predetermined by birth. In the case of significant intergenerational mobility, people achieve a new status through their own efforts, regardless of the circumstances that accompanied their birth.

Intragenerational mobility takes place where the same individual, beyond comparison with the father, changes social positions several times throughout his life. Otherwise it is called social career. Example: a turner becomes an engineer, and then a shop manager, plant director, minister of the engineering industry.

The first type of mobility refers to long-term, and the second - to short-term processes. In the first case, sociologists are more interested in interclass mobility, and in the second - movement from the sphere physical labor into the realm of the mind.

II. Horizontal mobility.

Migration, emigration, immigration.

Horizontal mobility implies the transition of an individual from one social group to another, located at the same level. An example is the movement from an Orthodox to a Catholic religious group, from one citizenship to another, from one family (parental) to another (one's own, newly formed), from one profession to another. Such movements occur without a noticeable change in social position in the vertical direction. Horizontal mobility implies a change by a person during his life from one status to another, which are approximately equivalent.

A form of horizontal mobility is geographical mobility. It does not imply a change in status or group, but a movement from one place to another while maintaining the same status. An example is international and interregional tourism, moving from a city to a village and back, moving from one enterprise to another. If a change of status is added to a change of place, then geographic mobility becomes migration. If a villager comes to the city to visit relatives, then this is geographic mobility. If he moved to the city for permanent residence and found a job here, then this is migration. He changed his profession.

Migration are territorial movements. They are seasonal, i.e. depending on the season (tourism, treatment, study, agricultural work), and pendulum- regular movement from this point and return to it. Essentially, both types of migration are temporary and return. Migration is the movement of people within one country.

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