Social Mobility
Introduction
Social mobility is used to refer to the degree to which a group is able to change its status. In most cases, social mobility is used to refer to material wealth and the ability of a person to move up the class system. There are different types of social mobility. That is vertical mobility and horizontal mobility. Mobility is enabled by various factors. For instance, mobility is enabled by economic capital. In addition, mobility is enabled by cultural capital and human capital. Other factors that enable mobility include physical capital and social capital. The social mobility differs from one group to another. Some groups have the high social mobility while others do not. For example, the social mobility differs from rural population and urban population. The social mobility in these places is influenced by different factors that enable social mobility. This paper compares upward social mobility in rural areas from childhood to adulthood and upward social mobility from child hood to adult hood in urban areas.
Discussion
There are different types of social mobility. That is upward social mobility and down ward social mobility. Upward social mobility refers to the change in a social status of a person. The change makes the person get a higher position in the status system. Downward social mobility affects one’s position by lowering it. The upward social mobility in urban areas is different from the upwards social mobility in rural areas as it is high. There are various factors that have led to high upward social mobility in the urban centers. First, the upward mobility in urban areas is high due to presence of economic capital and cultural capital. Most people in urban centers have enough finances and this makes it easy for them to care for their children (Griffin, 2000). Most parents living in urban centers are able to meet the needs of their children.
For instance, the parents provide education to their children. They also provide financial support. This has increased the upward mobility level of people in urban areas from childhood to adult hood (Nunn, Johnson, Monro &BIckerstaffe, 2007). A large percentage of children in urban areas have had adequate education. This has made it easy for the children to get jobs during adulthood. The economic capital and cultural capital has increased the employment opportunities for most children in urban areas. This is evidenced by the US workforce. Most of the children who have had parents working in high levels have also worked in high levels. This is evidenced by data collected by Blau and Dan.
The sociologists collected data to determine the occupation of people in urban areas.56.8% of children who had fathers in upper places ended up holding the same positions (Whitty, 2001). Only 1.2% of the children who had parents holding low positions held high positions. The differences in occupation have increased for the last few years. The gap between parents having low occupations and sons holding high positions has widened. This is due to education and economic factors (Cain, 2007).
The earning and wages in urban areas are directly related to the amount of education a person has. Workers who have less than high school diploma earn median income. For example, the workers earn almost $21000. On the other hand, workers who have a diploma or degree earn more. For example, the workers earn more than $53,000.Most of the children from urban areas are likely to earn more when they grow up unlike children from rural areas. This is because the children are able to get good employment opportunities unlike children from poor families. Children from urban areas are able to access high education opportunities and this helps eliminate poverty in the society. Most studies have proved that high education opportunities help transform people in the society from a low social class to a higher social class. This is because they are able to get good jobs and improve their living standards. Thus, the upward social mobility from childhood to adult hood in urban areas is high due to cultural capital (Cain, 2007).
On the other hand, the upward social mobility from childhood to adulthood in rural areas is not high. The upward mobility in these areas has been affected by cultural capital and social capital. First, upward social mobility in rural areas is influenced by lack of education. Most parents in rural areas do not have adequate income and this has made it hard for the parents to provide the right education to their children. The income inequality between rural areas and urban areas has continued to widen. The income inequality in the areas is as a result of high incidence of poverty. The rate of poverty in rural areas is high compared to the rate of poverty in urban areas (Nunn, Johnson, Monro &BIckerstaffe, 2007). This implies that people living in rural areas are more prone to poverty than people living in urban areas. The increase in poverty rates in rural areas has made it hard for children in such areas to get quality education (Nunn, Johnson, Monro &BIckerstaffe, 2007).
In addition, the development gap between urban areas and rural areas has widened. Most of the rural areas are less development unlike urban areas. The slow development in rural areas has affected income earning among the residents as they are unable to get good employment opportunities. The income rate in rural areas is almost 1/3 of income in urban areas. The poor economic developments in rural areas and income have affected the upward mobility in the society. Most children in rural areas are unable to experience upward social mobility. For instance, the children find it hard to get good employment opportunities in future. A large percentage of parents in rural areas earn low income and this hinders them from meeting their financial needs. Children from such families also earn low income in future as they also get poor jobs due to lack of skills.
The wages in the urban areas and rural areas are related with the education one has. Children who have good education get good jobs and high salary. On the other, children who do not have good education get poor jobs and low salary. The poverty line in 2005 was $19, 350. This is according to the United States department of health and human services. Most people who do not have adequate education get $19, 350 while people who have good education get above that (Breen, 2004). Most people in rural areas are unable to change to move away from the poverty line because they do not have education opportunities. Hence, children from rural areas find it hard to move from a low social class to a high social class. In addition, the children find it hard to move from a lower position to a higher position.
Most studies have proved that cultural capital helps middle class families confer social advantages on their kids. This in turn increases their ability to move upwards. For example, it increases the ability for the children to get good jobs and education. Additionally, the cultural capital helps middle class families prevent their children from downward movement in social class. On the other hand, poor families are not able to confer advantages to their kids as stated above. This in turn affects the ability of the children to move upwards and makes the children prone to down ward movement.
A series of studies have identified education as the major factor that affects upward social mobility. Most of the middle class families from urban areas are able to take advantage of education opportunities. This makes it easy for children from such families to move upward (Breen, 2004). In contrast parents from rural areas are not able to take advantage of education opportunities and this affects their ability of children from rural areas to move upward (Cain, 2007).
Moreover, the upward social mobility from childhood to adult hood in rural areas and urban areas has been influenced by social capital (Miller, Vandome &McBrewster, 2009). Mot researchers argue that social capital affects upwards mobility in different ways. The social capital among working groups has reduced greatly for the last few years. This has had a negative impact on social mobility as most people have found it hard to change their social positions and income. There are other social capitals that have emerged for the last few years.
For example, most people in the society have adopted the culture of wordlessness. Others have involved themselves in drug abuse and antisocial behaviors. Social mobility in the society can be affected by lack of good role models and peer pressure. In addition, social mobility can be affected by poverty and risks (Sivaram, 1990). Studies have proved that middle class families have access to a vast range of social networks compared to rich families and poor families. This gives them an advantage to have upward mobility and protect themselves from down ward mobility. The upward mobility in the society in urban areas is high due to social capital. Most people in urban areas are able to access many social networks and hence are able to move from one social class to another.
For instance, children from rich families are able to move from one position to another or class because they are able to access a wide range of social network. In addition, the children have good role models and less pressure. This ensures the children are able to move from one position in future (Griffin, 2000). On the other hand, people from poor families are not able to access many social networks. This hinders those exploiting opportunities available. Also, the children do not have the right models. This makes it hard for the children to know what is right and wrong and move upward. The children are also influenced by poverty in the society and family. Poverty hinders children from moving upwards as they lack good education and financial resources. Most of the children from rural areas are prone to down ward mobility and this lowers their position during adulthood. For example, the children are unable to secure goods jobs and education (Sivaram, 1990).
Apart from social capital, upward mobility among people in urban areas and rural areas is affected by childhood influence. Influences during childhood influence ones later life chances. For example, the quality of home environment and family structure influence ones chances in adult life. Moreover, the preschool care and relationships with adults caring for kids affects development in later life. The developments are hard to change during school and in life. Most of parents in urban areas influence their children positively during childhood and this in turn influences their chances in adult life. For example, the parents provide quality care to their kids including education. Parents from rural areas are not able to provide quality care to their kids and this impacts them during adulthood. This is because the kids are not able to exploit opportunities available. Thus, the influence during childhood affects ones life during adulthood (Sorokin, 1998).
Employment experiences and experience from the labor market affect social mobility. High levels of wordlessness and long periods of economic inactivity affect social mobility. Some of the groups including children from rural areas face disadvantages in the labor market. The health and wellbeing of people in the society affects their social mobility. The social factors and environmental factors affect social mobility. This is because they lead to poor health among the resident. This in turn lowers their socioeconomic status. Children from rural areas are more exposed to a wide range of diseases that affect them negatively. The diseases prevent the children from taking advantage of opportunities available. This lowers their socioeconomic status as the children experience down ward social mobility (Sorokin, 1998).
Lastly, the difference in upward social mobility from childhood to adult hood in rural areas and urban areas is as a result of influence from the local enviorment. Environmental problems combine with socioeconomic disadvantages in the areas and affect social mobility negatively. For instance, rural areas do not have adequate services like transport services and this makes it hard for them to move from a lower class to a higher class. Most people in rural areas are not able to make the right choices due to lack of enough resources (Sorokin, 1998).
Importance of the topic
The topic “comparing the upward social mobility from childhood to adulthood of urban versus rural-dwelling individuals is important”. First, analyzing the topic is important as it helps one understand the difference in upward social mobility among the two groups. The upward social mobility in urban areas is different from rural areas. For example, people dwelling in urban areas are more likely to experience upward social mobility unlike people in rural areas (Miller, Vandome &McBrewster, 2009). The upward social mobility in these areas is affected by various factors. It is affected by cultural capital, social capital and economic capital. It also affected by the enviorment.
Understanding the differences between the two groups helps overcome the challenges that hinder people from rural areas from experiencing upward mobility. For example, the content will help overcome financial issues and education issues that rural residents face. This will help overcome the inequality between the rich and poor in the society. The topic is relevant to the content learned in class as it helps one understand urban sociology. This is by analyzing problems people in urban areas and rural areas face (Sorokin, 1998).
Measures to overcome the social mobility differences in rural areas and urban areas
The topic is a major problem in the society. This is because of the high rate of inequality in the society. The income gap between the poor and the rich has widened. This is because of socioeconomic factors and environmental factors. This has in turn led to increase in poverty rate in the country. The difference in social mobility between people living in cities and rural areas can be eliminated using various things. Most governments have developed policies to help reduce the rate of inequality in the society. In equality in urban areas and rural areas has been affected by poor policies (Rotberg, 2000). For example, employment policies and education policies affect social mobility in urban centers and rural areas. Also, economic factors and other factors influence social mobility in rural areas and urban areas. This is because the residents are not able to utilize the opportunities available.
Middle class families from urban areas have taken advantage of policy reforms and this has disadvantaged people from rural areas. Policy interventions in the society can help overcome the challenges. Though most people have analyzed factors that affect social mobility in rural areas and urban areas, they have not explained the factoprs in details. Most of the researchers have not supported their work with the right evidence. For instance, the researchers have not provided data on social mobility between different groups. This has made the results from the study unreliable. Thus, many people have found it hard to solve the problem by identifying the right solutions. Hence, there is need for more research on this topic to bridge the gap created by different studies (Rotberg, 2000).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the social mobility in urban areas and rural areas is different. This is because of various factors that affect social mobility in these areas. Social mobility in rural areas and urban areas is affected by social capital, economic capital and cultural capital. It is also affected by environmental factors and parenting. The factors differ from one group to another. Social capital and cultural capital have contributed to upward social mobility in urban areas. This is because parents in urban areas are able to confer their children various advantages. For example, they are able to provide their kids with adequate education. This makes it easy for the children to exploit opportunities available. Moreover, parents from urban areas influence their children positively and this also influences their adult lives positively. On the other hand, people from rural areas are not able to confer their kids various advantages and this hinders them from growing. The children always experience down ward social mobility instead of upward social mobility.
Reference
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